Frequency of care mediates the effect of older adults' cognitive performance on the perceived strain of their informal caregivers in a middle-income country.

Abstract

Background and Objectives: As low and middle-income countries face a rapid increase in their older adult populations, the demand for informal caregiving is expected to rise. Understanding caregiving dynamics in these settings is crucial for developing effective support systems.Aims: To investigate whether the frequency and duration of care provided to older adults mediate the relationship between cognitive performance and caregiver strain.Methods: A cross-sectional study that evaluated informal caregivers of cognitively unimpaired (n = 78) older adults and people living with Alzheimer's dementia (n = 39). We controlled for variables including age, current medications, functional status, cognitive decline, and cognitive functioning. We analyzed whether caregiving frequency and duration mediated the effect of older adults' cognitive performance on caregiver strain.Results: Frequency of care, rather than its duration, significantly mediates the association between older adults' cognitive performance and caregiver strain. Specifically, more days of care are associated with increased caregiver strain, compared to the total number of caregiving hours.Conclusion: Addressing the frequency of caregiving days rather than just the duration in hours offers a more effective approach to reducing caregiver strain. Policies should aim to reduce the number of caregiving days, potentially through expanded respite care programs and full days off for caregivers.