Erschienen in:
01.02.2013 | Original Paper
Caregivers Burden of Older Adults with Chronic Illnesses in the Community: A Cross-Sectional Study
verfasst von:
Panita Limpawattana, Ampornpan Theeranut, Jarin Chindaprasirt, Kittisak Sawanyawisuth, Jiraporn Pimporm
Erschienen in:
Journal of Community Health
|
Ausgabe 1/2013
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Abstract
A chronic physical/mental disease not only has direct consequences for the chronically-ill older adults but can also alter the caregiver’s life. The objectives of this study were to identify burdens of community-dwelling older adults, characteristics of caregivers, severity of caregiver burden, and to develop supportive strategies. Caregivers of community-dwelling older adults were randomly interviewed between February and March 2012. Information on baseline characteristics and caregiver burden using Zarit Burden Inventory (ZBI) was collected. One hundred-fifty caregivers were interviewed. The mean ZBI was 20.8 + 11.3 [95 % CI 19.0, 22.7]. The majority of caregiver burden was classified as no burden (52 %). The age of caregivers, self-reported health status and duration of care had a positive relationship with ZBI scores while self-reported income had a negative one. Caregiver burden among Thai community-dwelling elder persons was small as most of those cared for had uncomplicated illness but this might be underestimated. Caregiver-dependent factors were more strongly associated with high burden than patient characteristics. Healthcare providers should consider these factors for interventions to alleviate burden.