[Physical complaints and stress of caregiving family members providing home nursing for long-term disabled patients].

A study of 128 caregivers caring for a person in need of constant nursing care at home showed them to suffer from a range of somatic symptoms (Giessen Symptom List) which lay significantly above the average for their age and sex. However, this was only true of those caregivers who perceived their task as a burden (moderate to severe burden, Burden Scale for Family Caregivers). The aspects which were seen to be most burdensome were lack of free-time and opportunities for respite as well as the fate of the person receiving care. The mean score of subjective burden did not linearly increase according to the degree of nursing care needed. The mean score was a maximum in cases where the degree of nursing care required is not intensive.