Background
Methods
Literature search
Study selection
Study selection
Data abstraction and quality assessment
Data synthesis
Role of the funding source
Results
Characteristics of reviewed studies
Paper | Country | Design | Description and aims | Population | Care recipient characteristics | Caregiver characteristics |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aggar 2012* [25] | Australia | Cross-sectional | Questionnaire-based longitudinal study. Aim was to compare caregiver reaction, depression, and anxiety in primary family caregivers of older adults enrolled in the control and intervention arms of a trial of an intervention targeting frailty. Timepoints were 3, 6, 9, 12, and 15 months after initiation of the trial. | 119 primary informal caregivers of older adults recently discharged from an aged care or rehabilitation service, residing in a major metropolitan area, and participating in a randomized trial targeting frailty. All recipients were frail (FFS ≥3). | Mean age: 84.4±6.0 Female: 71% MMSE>18** Frail; 64.7% Very frail; 35.3% | Mean age; 66.7 ± 13.7 Female; 59.7% Co-residing with CR; 57.1% Self-reported good health; 76% Provide <20 (>40) h/week of care; 52.1% |
Comans 2011 [27] | Australia | Cross-sectional | Cross-sectional analysis of baseline characteristics of an older population enrolled in an RCT of community rehabilitation service delivery models. Aim was to identify factors contributing to reduced quality of life and increased caregiver strain (CSI). | 107 older adults participating in an RCT of community rehabilitation service delivery models. Participants eligible if referred to a community rehabilitation service for falls or functional decline, ambulatory, nonresident in high-level care, and not unable to participate in a rehabilitation program due to physical or cognitive function. 45 participants had a caregiver who completed a CSI. | Mean age; 78.93 ± 7.67 Female gender; 66% EQ-5D; 0.56 ± 0.31 (reported normative value 0.7) EQ-VAS; 61.76 ± 15.62 (reported normative value 68) FAI; 19.43 ± 8.81 (reported normative value 40.86) AMTS; 8.68 ± 1.19 (reported normative value 8–10) TUG; 20.57 s ± 14.23 s (reported normative value <10) Caregiver available; 42% | (NB; only 42% of participants had caregiver available) Mean CSI; 4.4 ± 3.53 |
Cullen 1997 [28] | Australia | Australia Cross-sectional | Cross-sectional analysis of population of cognitively impaired older adults drawn from a longitudinal study and their CGs. Aim was to examine associations between CR sociodemographic, caregiver and relationship characteristics with caregiver morbidity singly and after controlling for clinical characteristics of the CRs. | 90 dyads consisting of community dwelling older adults with mild or greater levels of cognitive impairment (MMSE <27) and their informal CGs. | Mean age; 79 ± 6 Female gender; 54% Mean MMSE; 23.4 ± 3.6 Married; 54.4% | Mean age; 61 ± 14 Female gender; 81% Spouse of CR; 44% Child/inlaw of CR; 45.6% |
Faes 2011 [29] | Netherlands | Randomized controlled trial | RCT of a multifactorial fall prevention program. Aim was to assess whether intervention (program) was more effective than usual geriatric care in preventing falls in frail communitydwelling older fallers, with and without cognitive impairment, and in alleviating subjective caregiver burden in subjects’ CGs. | 33 dyads consisting of community dwelling older adults who had fallen at least once in the last 6 months and who met at least 2 of the FFS criteria, and their informal caregivers. | No sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., age) reported. All CRs able to walk at least 15 m independently with or without walking aid. All CRs had life expectancy >12 months. All CRs had MMSE >15. | Mean age (intervention/control); 67.3 ± 13.1/64.3 ± 14.3 Female gender (intervention/control); 50/67% Living with CR (intervention/control); 55/47% Baseline ZBI (intervention/control); 5.2/6.0 Total caregiving hours per week (intervention/control); 8.0/10.5 |
Kim 2008 [30] | USA | Cross-sectional | Tele-survey-based study comparing caregiving burden and distress, among CGs of 4 types of CRs: cancer, diabetes, dementia, frail older adults. | 606 CGs across all 4 groups, including 135 caregivers (“frail elderly” group) of CRs whom their CG described as “frail due to age.” | (“Frail elderly” group only) Mean age; 81.69 ± 9.77 | (“Frail elderly” group only) Mean age; 46.23 ± 14.99 Female gender; 47.4% Relationship to CR; Spouse/partner; 0.7% Child/in-law; 50.4% Sibling/in-law; 1.5% Grandchild/in-law; 18.5% Friend/neighbor/nonrelative; 17.8% Other; 11.1% |
Paper | Frailty measure | Caregiver burden measure | Summary | Limitations |
---|---|---|---|---|
Aggar 2012* [25] | FFS | CRA HADS | A set of comprehensive, multidisciplinary, and individualized interventions targeting frailty in CRs has some positive effects on CG burden. CGs of CRs in the intervention group reported better health (F = 5.303, p = 0.023) and selfesteem than the control group (F = 4.158, p = 0.044). CGs in the intervention group showed continuous improvement in health scores over the duration of the study. Anxiety increased over time significantly in both intervention and control groups (F = 2.819, p = 0.04). In secondary analysis, CGs who resided with CRs reported significantly higher self-esteem than non-co-resident CGs (F = 4.088, p = 0.046). | Cross-sectional (single point in time). Risk of survey bias. Outcomes of interest were not part of design of underlying RCT. No subgroup analysis on frail vs. very frail subgroups. Study population is relatively socioeconomically advantaged. Study did not include any non-frail participants for comparison. |
Comans 2011 [27] | No direct measure of frailty. Potential proxy measures for components of FFS: TUG, poor balance, use of walking aid (FFS; slow walking speed) Low BMI (<24) and malnutrition (FFS; weight loss) | CSI | In an analysis of a small sample (N = 45) of caregiver/care recipient dyads, none of the potential proxy measures for slow walking speed or weight loss was significantly associated with caregiver strain. | Cross-sectional (single point in time). No direct measure of frailty. No subgroup analysis of CRs with and without CGs. Relatively small sample size (45 of 107 CRs had CGs available). |
Cullen 1997 [28] | No direct measure of frailty. Potential proxy measures for component of FFS: gait ataxia; extrapyramidal gait disorder (FFS; slow walking speed) | RSS | In caregivers of cognitively impaired older adults, potential proxy measures of CRs’ slow walking speed were significantly associated with irritability and tension. Gait ataxia and extrapyramidal gait disorders were associated with caregiver irritability (p < 0.01, z-score = −1.60) and tension (p < 0.05, z-score = −1:36), respectively. Neither gait disturbance was significantly associated with CG tiredness, worry, depression, or GHQ scale. | Cross-sectional (single point in time). No direct measure of frailty. Patient population is cognitively impaired; may not be representative of older adults generally. CG burden variables were intercorrelated. |
Faes 2011 [29] | All subjects had FFS ≥2. No direct measure of frailty. Potential proxy measures for component of FFS: TUG; walking velocity (FFS; slow walking speed) | ZBI CES-D HADS-A EQ-5D-VAS | In this study of a multifactorial intervention to prevent falls in frail older adults, there was no significant difference between control and intervention groups in potential proxy measures of frailty (TUG or velocity). There was no significant difference in any CG burden measure (including anxiety, depression, and quality of life) between CGs of CRs in the two groups. | No direct measure of frailty. Small study population. Study did not control for cognitive impairment. Study did not include any non-frail participants for comparison (i.e., all participants had FFS ≥2). |
Kim 2008 [30] | CGs in the “frail elderly” group reported that they were caring for someone who was “frail due to age.” Frailty not otherwise defined. | Self-reported physical strain, emotional stress, and financial hardship as rated on a 5-point scale (1 = not at all; 5 = great deal/very much). Self-reported amount of money spent on caregiving/mo. | Compared to three other groups of CGs (for patients with cancer, diabetes, and dementia), CGs of CRs whom the CGs themselves described as “frail due to age” reported the least physical strain, emotional stress, and financial hardship. Of the four groups of CGs, carers of frail older adults also spent the least of their own money on caring and less than half the average time on caregiving activities. | Cross-sectional study (single point in time). Risk of survey bias. No direct measure of frailty; relied on CGs’ subjective impression of “frailty due to age,” which may have no relationship with physical frailty. |
Care recipient and caregiver populations
Reporting of care recipient frailty
Reporting of caregiver burden
Burden experienced by caregivers of physically frail older adults
Risk of bias
Selection | Comparability | Outcomes | ||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | ||||
Paper | Representativeness of sample | Sample size | Non-respondents | Ascertainment of exposure | Total Selection Score/5 | Comparability of different groups | Total Comparability Score | Assessment of outcome | Statistical test | Total Outcomes Score/2 |
Aggar 2012* [25] | (c) | (a)* | (a)* | (a)** | 4 | (a)* | 1 | (c) | (a)* | 1 |
Comans 2011* [27] | (c) | (b) | (c) | (a)** | 2 | (a)* | 1 | (c) | (a)* | 1 |
Cullen 1997 [28] | (b)* | (b) | (a)* | (a)** | 4 | (a)* | 1 | (c) | (a)* | 1 |
Kim 2008 [30] | (a)* | (a)* | (c) | (b) | 2 | (a)* | 1 | (c) | (a)* | 1 |
A | B | C | D | E | F | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Study | Adequate sequence generation | Adequate allocation concealment | Adequate blinding | Incomplete outcome data addressed | Free of selective reporting | Free of other bias |
Faes 2011 [29] | + | − | + | − | + | + |