Dow Briony, Meyer Claudia, Moore Kirsten J, Hill Keith D
National Ageing Research Institute, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne, Vic 3052, Australia.
Aust Health Rev. 2013 May;37(2):152-7. doi: 10.1071/AH12168.
This study sought to explore the impact of care recipient falls on caregivers.
Ninety-six community-dwelling caregiver-care recipient dyads participated in a 12-month prospective study. Falls and other accidents and service use were recorded. Dyads were assessed at baseline and after each fall. Assessment included the Zarit Burden Interview and a post-accident survey developed for the present study. Focus groups were then conducted to further explore the impact of falls on caregivers.
Fifty-four care recipients (56%) experienced falls within the 12 months of the study. There was a significant increase in caregiver burden after the first fall (Zarit Burden Interview score increased from 24.2±14.2 to 27.6±14.5, P<0.01). Twenty-four percent of caregivers reported that they had altered their usual routine after the fall, mainly not wanting to leave the care recipient alone. However, there was no increase in the number of services used. Focus group discussions highlighted the need for constant vigilance of the care recipient, a lack of knowledge about support services and concerns related to utilising respite care.
Falls among care recipients have a significant impact on carers, including an increased fear of falling, prompting the need for even closer vigilance. WHAT IS KNOWN ABOUT THE TOPIC? Falls are a significant problem for older people as one in three older people fall each year and injurious falls are the leading cause of injury-related hospitalisation in older people. In Australia falls cost the economy over $500 million per year. WHAT DOES THIS PAPER ADD? This paper adds a unique perspective to the falls literature, that of the older person's carer. Falls are a significant problem for community-dwelling carers of older people, contributing to carer burden and impeding the carer's ability to undertake activities of daily living because of the perceived need for constant vigilance to prevent the person they care for from falling. WHAT ARE THE IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTITIONERS? Practitioners should ensure that carers are aware of evidence-based falls-prevention practices and services, such as group and individual exercise programs, home modifications and podiatry, that might assist to prevent falls in the person they care for and therefore reduce the burden of care.
本研究旨在探讨受照料者跌倒对照料者的影响。
96对社区居住的照料者-受照料者二元组参与了一项为期12个月的前瞻性研究。记录跌倒及其他事故和服务使用情况。在基线时以及每次跌倒后对二元组进行评估。评估包括Zarit照料负担访谈以及为本研究编制的事故后调查问卷。随后开展焦点小组讨论，以进一步探讨跌倒对照料者的影响。
54名（56%）受照料者在研究的12个月内发生了跌倒。首次跌倒后照料者负担显著增加（Zarit照料负担访谈得分从24.2±14.2增至27.6±14.5，P<0.01）。24%的照料者报告称，跌倒后他们改变了日常安排，主要是不想让受照料者独自待着。然而，服务使用次数并未增加。焦点小组讨论强调需要对照料对象持续保持警惕，缺乏对支持服务的了解以及对使用临时护理的担忧。
受照料者跌倒对照料者有重大影响，包括对跌倒的恐惧增加，这促使需要更加密切地进行警惕。关于该主题已知的情况是什么？跌倒是老年人面临的一个重大问题，因为每年有三分之一的老年人跌倒，而导致受伤的跌倒事故是老年人因伤住院的主要原因。在澳大利亚，跌倒每年给经济造成的损失超过5亿美元。本文补充了什么内容？本文为跌倒相关文献增添了一个独特视角，即老年人照料者的视角。跌倒对于社区居住的老年人照料者来说是一个重大问题，由于认为需要持续保持警惕以防止他们所照料的人跌倒，这加重了照料者的负担并妨碍了照料者开展日常生活活动的能力。对从业者有何启示？从业者应确保照料者了解基于证据的预防跌倒措施和服务，如团体和个人锻炼项目、家庭改造以及足病治疗，这些可能有助于预防他们所照料的人跌倒，从而减轻照料负担。
