Factors Influencing Care Burdens of Caregivers of Elders with Dementia who Request Dementia Domiciliary Welfare Services

Lee, Youngwhee; Kim, Hwasoon; Cho, Insook

Abstract

PURPOSE: The purpose of the study was to identify the factors, which predict care burden perceived by caregivers of elders with dementia.
METHODS
The participants in this descriptive survey were 92 caregivers who used one of six daycare centers located in Incheon. The data were collected by questionnaires composed of items on general characteristics of the elders and caregivers, care burden, caregiver fatigue, and functional status of the elders.
RESULTS
General characteristics of the elders associated with care burden were age, gender, religion, and the presence of a spouse. Features of caregivers related to care burden were education, relationship with elderly, amount of rest, intention to care, monthly family income, and perceived family economic status. There were significant correlations among care burden, fatigue of caregiver and functional status of the elders. In stepwised multiple regression analysis, significant influencing factors were identified as caregiver fatigue, functional status of the elders, intention to care, relationship with the elders, amount of rest and elder's gender. Those variables explained 46% of variance of care burden.
CONCLUSION
Functional status of elders and amount of rest were significant predictors and are supported by other previous studies. Future interventions for caregivers need to be focused on the slowing down of functional status of elders and increasing of number and length of caregiver's rest periods.