Picco Louisa, Abdin Edimansyah, Vaingankar Janhavi A, Pang Shirlene, Shafie Saleha, Sambasivam Rajeswari, Chong Siow Ann, Subramaniam Mythily
Research Division, Institute of Mental Health, Singapore.
Ann Acad Med Singap. 2016 Nov;45(11):486-494.
Currently very little is known about the prevalence or magnitude of caregiver dependence in Singapore and thus, there is a need to fill this gap in this multiethnic ageing population. This study aims to determine the prevalence and risk factors of caregiver dependence among older adults in Singapore.
Data were used from the Well-being of the Singapore Elderly (WiSE) study, a nationally representative, cross-sectional survey among Singapore residents aged 60 years and above. Caregiver dependence was ascertained by asking the informant (the person who knows the older person best) a series of open-ended questions about the older person's care needs.
The older adult sample comprised 57.1% females and the majority were aged 60 to 74 years (74.8%), while 19.5% were 75 to 84 years, and 5.7% were 85 years and above. The prevalence of caregiver dependence was 17.2% among older adults. Significant sociodemographic risk factors of caregiver dependence included older age (75 to 84 years, and 85 years and above, <0.001), Malay and Indian ethnicity ( <0.001), those who have never been married ( = 0.048) or have no education ( = 0.035), as well as being homemakers or retired ( <0.001). After adjusting for sociodemographic variables and all health conditions in multiple logistic regression analyses, dementia ( <0.001), depression ( = 0.011), stroke ( = 0.002), eyesight problems ( = 0.003), persistent cough ( = 0.016), paralysis ( <0.001), asthma ( = 0.016) and cancer ( = 0.026) were significantly associated with caregiver dependence.
Various sociodemographic and health-related conditions were significantly associated with caregiver dependence. Dependent older adults will put greater demands on health and social services, resulting in greater healthcare expenditures. Hence, effective planning, services and support are crucial to meet the needs of dependent older adults and their caregivers.
目前，对于新加坡照顾者依赖的患病率或程度知之甚少，因此，在这个多民族老龄化人口中，有必要填补这一空白。本研究旨在确定新加坡老年人中照顾者依赖的患病率及风险因素。
数据来自新加坡老年人福祉（WiSE）研究，这是一项针对60岁及以上新加坡居民的具有全国代表性的横断面调查。通过询问信息提供者（最了解老年人的人）一系列关于老年人护理需求的开放式问题来确定照顾者依赖情况。
老年样本中女性占57.1%，大多数年龄在60至74岁之间（74.8%），而19.5%为75至84岁，5.7%为85岁及以上。老年人中照顾者依赖的患病率为17.2%。照顾者依赖的显著社会人口学风险因素包括高龄（75至84岁以及85岁及以上，<0.001）、马来族和印度族裔（<0.001）、从未结婚者（=0.048）或未受过教育者（=0.035），以及家庭主妇或退休人员（<0.001）。在多因素逻辑回归分析中对社会人口学变量和所有健康状况进行调整后，痴呆（<0.001）、抑郁（=0.011）、中风（=0.002）、视力问题（=0.003）、持续性咳嗽（=0.016）、瘫痪（<0.001）、哮喘（=0.016）和癌症（=0.026）与照顾者依赖显著相关。
各种社会人口学和健康相关状况与照顾者依赖显著相关。依赖他人照顾的老年人将对健康和社会服务提出更大需求，导致医疗保健支出增加。因此，有效的规划、服务和支持对于满足依赖他人照顾的老年人及其照顾者的需求至关重要。
