Introduction:

COVID-19 mitigation measures increased the need for informal caregiving among older adults; characterizing caregivers will enable the development of strategies to support caregivers during the contingency.

Objective:

To describe the socio-demographic and health characteristics of informal caregivers of older adults, aspects of caregiving, and access to technology during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methodology:

Cross-sectional descriptive study of 52 informal caregivers identified by snowball sampling. Unpaid caregivers over 18 years of age were included. Data were collected online, using a specially designed data form. Frequencies, percentages and measures of central tendency were calculated.

Results:

67% were women, married (36%), Catholics (73.1%), with an average age of 37 years and 13 years of schooling. Thirty-six percent were engaged in the home and 21.2% were students. Seventy-three percent did not suffer from chronic diseases and slept 7 hours a day, dedicating 9.4 hours a day to care for people. Care by children predominated in 35%, who did not live with the older adult (54%), sharing the care with other people in 83%, 79% had no training and only 21.2% received training by nurses. 63% received information on COVID-19 prevention and 96% had internet at home.

Conclusions:

The informal caregiver is characterized by women with an average age of 37 years, high schooling and apparently healthy; which require guidance by nurses to perform care during the contingency.

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