Determinants of Disabled Elderly Caregivers Burden in Ismailia, Egypt
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- Category: Vol. 78, March 2010
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Determinants of Disabled Elderly Caregivers Burden in Ismailia, Egypt,MOHAMAD MOHAMEDY AWAD, HANAN A. EL GAMMAL, MAGDA T. FAHMY and EMAN IMAM
Abstract
Background: Caring for a physically disabled relative can be physically and emotionally stressful, placing the caregiver at heightened risk of illness and chronic disease onset. Although an abundance of research has focused on the adverse emotional and social effects of care giving, there have been few studies of the physical health consequences for this group.
This study aims to assess relationship between care giving process and disability of the elderly.
Subjects and Method: A cross sectional household study was conducted to assess the burden facing the caregivers of elderly with functional and cognitive disabilities living in Ismailia governorate.
Comprehensive sample was conducted, all disabled elderly were included after assessment of functional disability and cognitive disability among them. Level of functional disabilities of elderly was assessed by using the Katz ADL. (Activity Of Daily Living) scale, and assessment of caregiver burden through The Zarit Burden Interview.
Results: The mean age of the studied elderly was 76.5± 9.2 (65-87), 48.9% were females, 38.6% are having chronic diseases. The mean age of elderly caregiver 37.6±11.5 (15- 76), 78.5% were females, mean care giving hours were 15.6± 6.9 (4-24).
According to Katz index of independence in ADL, the elderly had mild dysfunction in 50.4%, by using the mini-mental score about 28.6% of disabled elderly suffer from cognitive disability with mean mental score was 21.8±3.9.
Prevalence of burden among caregivers was 37% with mean burden score was 22. The study showed that statistically significant positive correlation between burden score and age of the elderly, number of chronic diseases, and caregiver age, and statistically significant negative correlation between burden score and ADL score, MMSE score, but no statistically significance between burden score care-giving hours/d, and income.
Conclusion: Home care of chronically disabled persons has received considerable attention in recent years, Caregivers often spend a disproportionate amount of their emotional, physical, or financial resources on the person requiring care. As time and illness progress, the responsibility may be met with decreasing enthusiasm, regardless of emotional relation-ships, and thus leads to burnout and increased caregiver burden.