High burden and frailty: association with poor cognitive performance in older caregivers living in rural areas

Introduction: Older caregivers living in rural areas may be exposed to three vulnerable conditions, i.e., those related to care, their own aging, and their residence context. Objective: To analyze the association of burden and frailty with cognition performance in older caregivers in rural communities. Method: In this cross-sectional survey, 85 older caregivers who cared for dependent elders were included in this study. Global cognition (Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination – Revised; Mini Mental State Examination), burden (Zarit Burden Interview) and frailty (Fried's frailty phenotype) were assessed. All ethical principles were observed. Results: Older caregivers were mostly women (76.7%); mean age was 69 years. Cognitive impairment was present in 15.3%, severe burden in 8.2%, frailty in 9.4%, and pre-frailty in 52.9% of the older caregivers. More severely burdened or frail caregivers had worse cognitive performance than those who were not, respectively (ANOVA test). Caregivers presenting a high burden level and some frailty degree (pre-frail or frail) simultaneously were more likely to have a reduced global cognition performance. Conclusion: A significant number of older caregivers had low cognitive performance. Actions and resources to decrease burden and physical frailty may provide better cognition and well-being, leading to an improved quality of life and quality of the care provided by the caregivers

Naturalista e homem público: a trajetória do ilustrado José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva em sua fase portuguesa (1780 -1819)

José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silvas presence in historiography is nearly consensual,\ud as far as his identification as the Patriarch of the Independence is concerned. This identification\ud corresponds to the primacy attributed to his status as a statesman and parliamentarian. However, he became known not only as a public man, but also as a man of learning, into researching\ud the natural world. This article wich makes use of the IHGB and MP/USP manuscripts colections,\ud will investigate the role played by José Bonifácio in the process of the Portuguese Enlightenment\ud in four moments: his studies at Coimbra University Law School, his admission to the Sciences\ud Royal Academy in Lisbon, the scientific trip to the main mining centres in Central and North\ud Europe, and his appointment for the General Intendancy of the Mines and Metals of the\ud Kingdom. The analysis of the naturalist in his Portuguese phase allows the observation of the\ud active role the Brazilian-born Portuguese have played in the process of diffusion of the\ud Enlightenment in the Portuguese Kingdom