School of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.
Department of Community Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria.
Pan Afr Med J. 2022 May 24;42:64. doi: 10.11604/pamj.2022.42.64.32715. eCollection 2022.
caring for elderly persons is challenging for caregivers due to elderly persons´ increased dependence and reduced physical strength. This study assessed the burden of care experienced by caregivers of elderly persons in family settings.
this cross-sectional study used a multistage cluster sampling technique to select 1,119 caregivers of elderly persons aged 18-59 years from one rural and one urban local government area in Oyo State, Nigeria. Interviewer-administered questionnaires collected information on caregiving arrangements and burden of care experienced (determined using the modified short version of the Zarit Burden Interview).
caregivers´ mean age was 38.6 ± 8.7 years with 50.2% aged ≥40 years. There were more females (59.8%) than males (40.2%) and 78.4% were married. Only 47.8% were primary caregivers, 54% cared for their parents and 2% cared for non-relatives. Prior to their caregiving, 81% reported good relationships with the elderly. Although 80.3% of the elderly were reported to be fully independent for activities of daily living, 74.0% of the caregivers experienced burden of care with 28.2% reporting severe burden. The odds of burden of care were 10 times higher among rural than urban caregivers (OR=10.09, 95%CI=5.99-17.01); eight times higher among those with poor than those with good mental health status (OR=7.90, 95%CI=4.60-13.57) three times higher among those with dependent than independent elders (OR=2.74, 95%CI=1.68-4.47).
experience of burden of care was high among caregivers in the rural area and those with poor mental health. Community-oriented support including daycare centres and old people´s homes will provide relief to caregivers.
由于老年人依赖性增加和体力下降，照顾老年人对照顾者来说是一项具有挑战性的任务。本研究评估了家庭环境中照顾老年患者的照顾者的负担。
这是一项横断面研究，使用多阶段聚类抽样技术从尼日利亚奥约州一个农村和一个城市地方政府区中选择了 1119 名 18-59 岁的老年患者的照顾者。访谈员使用修改后的 Zarit 负担访谈简短版评估了照顾安排和负担情况。
照顾者的平均年龄为 38.6±8.7 岁，≥40 岁的占 50.2%。女性（59.8%）多于男性（40.2%），78.4%已婚。只有 47.8%是主要照顾者，54%照顾父母，2%照顾非亲属。在照顾之前，81%的照顾者报告与老年人关系良好。尽管 80.3%的老年人被认为完全能够自理日常生活，但 74.0%的照顾者感到负担沉重，其中 28.2%报告负担沉重。与城市照顾者相比，农村照顾者的负担感风险高 10 倍（OR=10.09，95%CI=5.99-17.01）；心理健康状况较差的照顾者的风险高 8 倍（OR=7.90，95%CI=4.60-13.57）；与独立的老年人相比，依赖的老年人的风险高 3 倍（OR=2.74，95%CI=1.68-4.47）。
农村地区和心理健康状况较差的照顾者的负担感较高。以社区为导向的支持，包括日托中心和老年人之家，将为照顾者提供缓解。
