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Background & Aims: Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. Older patients with stroke require long-term care and treatment. So, the present study was aimed to determine the burden of care of caregivers of elderly patients with stroke and its relationship with the rate of the elderly patients’ dependency. Material and Methods: A total of 110 caregivers of elderly patients with stroke participated in this descriptive and cross-sectional study. The samples were selected purposefully among the elderly patients hospitalized in Valiasr hospital in Zanjan for 6 months before the study. Zarit burden questionnaire and Barthel index of activities of daily living were used for collecting data. Questionnaires were completed by the caregivers. Then, the data were analyzed using Pearson, Spearman, independent t-test and ANOVA by SPSS 23 software.  Results: Based on the results of this study, the mean age of caregivers was 32.09 ± 8.70 years and the majority of them were women (n=77, 70%). Most of the elderly patients had mild to moderate dependency (n= 74, 67.3%). About 90 percent of the caregivers were under mild to moderate burn out. The results also showed a positive and significant relationship between caregivers’ burnout and level of dependency of the elderly patients (p < o.oo1). Conclusion: According to the results of this study, increasing the level of dependency and care needs of the elderly patients resulted in increase in the caregivers’ burnout. So, it is necessary to empower the caregivers by social support and consulting method for reduction in their burnout.

Keywords: Stroke, dependency, burn out, caregiver

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