Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mount Scopus, Jerusalem, Israel.
Int Psychogeriatr. 2012 Nov;24(11):1836-45. doi: 10.1017/S1041610212001135. Epub 2012 Jul 3.
Out-of-home mobility refers to the realization of trips outside the home, by foot or by other means of transportation. Although out-of-home mobility is important for the well-being of older people with cognitive impairment, its importance for their caregivers is not clear. This study aims to clarify the relationship between caregiving burden and out-of-home mobility of care-recipients using Global Positioning Systems (GPS) technology.
Seventy-six dyads (care-recipients and caregivers) were recruited from a psychogeriatric center, where they underwent cognitive assessment, followed by psychosocial interviews at home. Care-recipients received GPS tracking kits to carry for a period of four weeks, whenever they left home. Mobility data and diagnostic and psychosocial data were examined in relation to caregiver burden.
The strongest predictors of burden were care-recipients' lower cognitive status and more time spent walking out-of-home. An interaction was found between cognitive status and time spent walking in relation to caregiver burden. The relationship between walking and burden was stronger among caregivers of care-recipients with dementia than caregivers of care-recipients with no cognitive impairment or mild cognitive impairment. Care-recipients' behavioral and emotional states were also positively related to caregiver burden.
The findings stress the importance of maintaining older persons' out-of-home mobility during cognitive decline.
户外活动是指通过步行或其他交通工具实现的离家出行。尽管户外活动对认知障碍老年人的幸福感很重要，但它对照顾者的重要性尚不清楚。本研究旨在使用全球定位系统（GPS）技术阐明照顾者负担与照顾对象户外活动之间的关系。
从一家心理老年医学中心招募了 76 对（照顾对象和照顾者），他们在那里接受了认知评估，然后在家中进行了社会心理访谈。当照顾对象离开家时，他们会佩戴 GPS 跟踪器套件，为期四周。对移动数据以及诊断和社会心理数据进行了检查，以了解与照顾者负担的关系。
负担的最强预测因素是照顾对象认知能力较低以及外出步行的时间更长。在认知状态和外出步行时间与照顾者负担之间发现了一种相互作用。在痴呆症照顾对象的照顾者中，步行与负担之间的关系强于无认知障碍或轻度认知障碍的照顾对象的照顾者。照顾对象的行为和情绪状态也与照顾者负担呈正相关。
研究结果强调了在认知能力下降期间保持老年人户外活动的重要性。
