Caregiver burden of the elderly in a selected urban community, Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh

Chandana N.; Marteena James; Kokilavani C.; Padmasree P.; Soniya N.; Jayanthi Tarugu; Udayasree K.; Kiranmayi Koni

doi:10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20240271

Authors

Chandana N. Department of Nursing, The Apollo College of Nursing, Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, India
Marteena James Department of Nursing, The Apollo College of Nursing, Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, India
Kokilavani C. Department of Nursing, The Apollo College of Nursing, Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, India
Padmasree P. Department of Nursing, The Apollo College of Nursing, Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, India
Soniya N. Department ofNursing, The Apollo College of Nursing, Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, India
Jayanthi Tarugu Department of Medical and Surgical Nursing, The Apollo College of Nursing, Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, India
Udayasree K. Department of Medical and Surgical Nursing, The Apollo College of Nursing, Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, India
Kiranmayi Koni Department of Psychiatric Nursing, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Raebareli, Uttar Pradesh, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20240271

Keywords:

Caretaker, Caregiver burden, Elderly, Late adulthood, Old age

Abstract

Background: In India, families are the primary source of support in caring for the elderly, whereas the potential group of family caregivers is shrinking. Caregivers need greater recognition and support to help them care for the elderly and to maintain their own health and well-being. Assessment of the perceived burden of caregivers helps identify those in need of support.

Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted to estimate the perceived level of caregiver burden in families of elderly and to identify the association between selected socio-demographic characteristics of the caregivers and the level of caregiver burden. The caregivers of 50 elderly people categorized as mild and moderate dependents as per the Katz index of Independence were included in the study. The Zarith caregiver burden scale was used to evaluate their perceived level of caregiver burden.

Results: Thirty-two (64%) caregivers were found to experience a mild to moderate perceived level of caregiver burden. An ordinal regression analysis between other burdens/responsibilities (predictor) of the caregiver and the perceived level of caregiver burden showed a significant association (χ²; p=0.009) between the two. An odds ratio of 6.7 (95% CI, 2.22 to 22.7; p=0.00115) showed that as the predictor increased, the event (caregiver burden) increased as well.

Conclusions: The majority of the caregivers suffer from a mild to moderate perceived level of caregiver burden. They experience more burden when they hold additional responsibility of caring for the elderly.

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