Intervención educativa para empoderar a los cuidadores de adultos mayores.

Abstract

Population aging poses growing challenges for healthcare systems and highlights the need to strengthen the role of informal caregivers. This study aimed to implement an educational intervention aimed at strengthening the skills and empowerment of informal caregivers of older adults in a community in the Santa Rosa canton, Ecuador. A quantitative, non-experimental, descriptive, cross-sectional design was adopted, applying a Likert-type questionnaire to 120 caregivers before an educational intervention and subsequently administering a knowledge test (post-test) to evaluate its effect. The results showed significant gaps in clinical knowledge, practical skills, emotional coping, self-care, and legal and ethical aspects. Only 42% of caregivers had received previous training, and 68.1% showed indicators of emotional overload and lack of knowledge in emergency management and palliative care. After the intervention, an improvement was observed in the recognition of self-care strategies, use of coping techniques, identification of support networks, and knowledge about chronic diseases and the rights of older adults. The improvement in post-test scores, although moderate (47% to 65.5%), confirms the partial effectiveness of the intervention. This study highlights the importance of designing accessible, culturally relevant, and sustainable educational strategies that strengthen caregivers' skills and promote their comprehensive empowerment. In conclusion, the incorporation of educational programs aimed at caregivers is supported as a key component of public health policies to ensure quality care for the older adult population and reduce the psychosocial burden associated with informal.