Lindenbaum Katharina, Stroka Magdalena A, Linder Roland
Ruhr-Universitaet Bochum, Universitaetsstr. 150, 44801 Bochum, Germany,
J Ment Health Policy Econ. 2014 Sep;17(3):99-105.
Caring for a person often imposes a significant burden on informal caregivers, which is a possible threat to their own health and well-being. The aim of this study is twofold: (i) We analyze whether the risk of the mental burden due to informal caregiving increases when the dependent person suffers from mental disorders. (ii) We investigate if the utilization of formal care assistance reduces this burden.
Routine data from a sickness fund regarding informal caregivers of frail elderly persons aged more than 65 years is analyzed by estimating pooled logit models.
We find evidence for a significant difference of the risk of mental disturbance in informal caregivers when caring for impaired elderly with and without certain mental disorders. However, claiming formal care services in addition to the informal care provision decreases the disturbance.
There are political implications that arise from our results: First, the already existing system of formal in-home services should be enlarged. Second, special attention should be paid to the health status of the person in need of care when deciding which form of care is appropriate and the least burdensome for the informal caregiver.
照顾他人往往会给非正式照料者带来巨大负担，这可能会对他们自身的健康和幸福构成威胁。本研究的目的有两个：（i）我们分析当受抚养人患有精神障碍时，非正式照料带来的精神负担风险是否会增加。（ii）我们调查正式照料援助的使用是否能减轻这种负担。
通过估计混合逻辑模型，分析了一家疾病基金关于65岁以上体弱老年人非正式照料者的常规数据。
我们发现，在照顾有和没有特定精神障碍的受损老年人时，非正式照料者出现精神障碍风险存在显著差异。然而，在提供非正式照料的同时申请正式照料服务可减少这种障碍。
我们的研究结果具有政治意义：第一，应扩大现有的正式上门服务体系。第二，在决定哪种照料形式合适且对非正式照料者负担最小的时候，应特别关注需要照料者的健康状况。
