Centre for Ageing Research and Education, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore.
Health Services and Systems Research, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, Singapore.
Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2022;51(4):340-347. doi: 10.1159/000525999. Epub 2022 Jul 27.
This study examined distinct profiles of met and unmet care needs among community-dwelling older adults with cognitive impairment and their association with caregiver strain.
Latent class analysis and multivariable regression were applied to data from 266 caregivers of older Singaporeans, aged 60 years and above, with cognitive impairment. Care needs were evaluated by caregivers using the Camberwell Assessment of Need for the Elderly. Caregiver strain was measured by the Zarit Burden Interview.
Four need profiles were identified: (1) no need (38% of caregivers), (2) met social and memory needs (29%), (3) no social and met memory needs (17%), and (4) unmet social and memory needs (16%). The unmet social and memory needs profile was associated with a higher level of caregiver strain, compared to the no need profile.
A person-centered approach captured heterogeneity in the care needs of community-dwelling older adults with cognitive impairment. Policymakers should develop tailored interventions based on need profiles that may help reduce caregiver strain.
本研究考察了认知障碍的社区居住老年人中不同的满足和未满足的护理需求，并分析了这些需求与照顾者负担之间的关系。
对 266 名年龄在 60 岁及以上的新加坡认知障碍老年人的照顾者进行了数据分析。照顾者使用老年坎伯韦尔需求评估量表来评估护理需求，使用照顾者负担量表来测量照顾者的负担。
确定了四种需求模式：（1）无需求（38%的照顾者）；（2）满足社会和记忆需求（29%）；（3）无社会和满足记忆需求（17%）；以及（4）未满足的社会和记忆需求（16%）。与无需求模式相比，未满足社会和记忆需求模式与更高水平的照顾者负担相关。
以个体为中心的方法捕捉到了认知障碍的社区居住老年人护理需求的异质性。决策者应根据需求模式制定有针对性的干预措施，这可能有助于减轻照顾者的负担。
