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

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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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.

Detailed Description
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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).

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

Conditions
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Caregivers

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: Research questionnaires, blood sample


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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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

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 70 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| caregivers<br>someone who takes care and lives with a disabled elderly | Other: Research questionnaires, blood sample<br>* assessment of health (frailty, nutrition, physical performance, depression, burden, sense of coherence, caregiver reaction)<br>|
| controls<br>someone who lives with an healthy elderly | Other: Research questionnaires, blood sample<br>* assessment of health (frailty, nutrition, physical performance, depression, burden, sense of coherence, caregiver reaction)<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Levels of biomarkers across groups | biomarkers of inflammation (cortisol, high sensitive C-Reactive Protein,Interleukin-6), immunity (TRECS, telomere length) and transcriptomics/epigenetics | at baseline | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Relation between biomarkers, subjective burden and the care receiver situation | biomarkers of inflammation (cortisol, high sensitive C-Reactive Protein,Interleukin-6), immunity (TRECS, telomere length) and transcriptomics/epigenetics and their relations with the Zarit burden, the caregiver reaction assessment, the depression scale and the sense of coherence scale and with the situation of the care receiver ( Katz index, cognitive impairment, behavioral disturbance) | at baseline | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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biological marker, frailty, burden, nutrition, elderly