CAREGIVER2, Caregiver's Health Assessment : Clinical and Biological Markers

Soutien Des Soins Informels Aux Personnes âgées Fragiles : Accompagnement Des Aidants Sur Base d'Une évaluation Clinique et Biologique de la Charge de Soins.

Providing care for a disabled elderly may represent a risk for the health of the caregiver. The objective of the study is to assess the impact of caregiving in terms of clinical and biological markers in relation to disability and cognitive impairment.

The investigators hypothesize that an accumulation of stressful events related to care giving may induce a stress response to the caregiver. This stress response can be measured by biological markers (inflammation, transcription and immunity) and also by clinical markers (frailty, physical performance, nutrition). This stress response can be influenced by the subjective burden of the caregiver and by the severity of the disease of the care receiver (Activity of daily life capabilities, cognitive function, behavioral disturbance).

Inclusion Criteria:

• living with the care-receiver ( or with a healthy elderly for the controls)
• care-receiver dependent for at least one Activity of the daily living ( Katz index) or having cognitive disorder ( >2 Global Deterioration Scale)

Exclusion Criteria:

• institutionalised elderly
• inability to understand and speak french
• Acute disease within the past month
• Anti-inflammatory or immuno-suppressive treatment
• End-of-life care