Care Burden on Family Caregivers of Patients with Dementia Living in the Community

Abstract

The family caregiver’s role is crucial in providing care for people with dementia, but equally important is the burden accompanying such care. The purpose of this study is to assess the burden of family caregivers of elderly with dementia who live in the community and investigate the burden’s determinants. The cross-sectional study was conducted using the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), in which the demographic details were included. The questionnaires were completed through personal interviews. Responses from a sample of 114 family caregivers of elderly with dementia living in urban and rural areas of a Greek island were examined. Statistical analyses included t-test, chisquare test, and ANOVA. Multiple regression was applied to analyze the factors affecting the caregiver’s burden. The level of statistical significance was set at 0.05. Results indicated that most of the family caregivers were women, daughters mainly, with a low income and mean age of 58 years. The mean total burden of caregivers is characterized as moderate to severe. The burden is not correlated with gender, while younger age, high income and educational level of the caregiver are related to low burden score. The multivariate analysis demonstrated that the number of caregivers’ health problems is the primary variable related to the burden score. Almost all chronic health problems are correlated with higher burden score. The duration of caregiving is proportional to the caregivers’ burden. Social support for the family and the availability of community facilities are both requested by the caregivers themselves. The findings highlighted that the design and implementation of targeted actions to create dementia-friendly communities will support family caregivers and will contribute to strengthening the institution of the family, avoiding institutionalization, and thus enhancing the health and well-being of the caregiver and the care recipient.