[Measuring the burden for carers of dependent elderly with the Zarit inventory]

The aim of this study was to measure the subjective burden felt by persons who care for dependent elderly people living in their home. A questionnaire was administered to 291 persons. The burden is measured by the Zarit "Burden Inventory" in the French version; it is a 22 question scale exploring the consequences of caring activities in the physical, psychological and social area. The burden score is related to the physical dependency and mostly to the behavioural troubles of the elderly. It is not different according to the carer's family relationship but it is related to his family situation, his self-rated health and the desire to institutionalize the elderly person. This synthetic tool seems to measure the quality of life of carers, but longitudinal studies are necessary to measure its predictive value concerning behaviours in this population.