ANALYSIS OF CAREGIVER RISK TO ASSESS NEEDS OF FAMILY CAREGIVERS FOR PATIENTS WITH DEMENTIA

Abstract

Family Caregivers of patients with dementia experience greater risk of caregiving than other caregivers. Caregiver risk of family caregivers in dementia is multidimensional and interrelated and a critical determinants of quality of life. Therefore, caregiver risk can systematically assess well-being and identify needed areas of support for caregivers of patients with dementia. The purposes of this study were to examine risk domains of family caregivers for patients with dementia and to investigate associations between characteristics of patients with dementia and risk domains of family caregivers This is a descriptive, correlational, and cross-sectional study using convenience sample from 25 district dementia support centers in Seoul, South Korea. The questionnaires for family caregivers included risk appraisal and demographic and caregiving information. Data on patients with dementia of family caregivers completing the questionnaires included duration and type of dementia, CDR (Clinical Dementia Rating), MMSE (Mini Mental State Examination), and demographic information. In comprehensive assessment of risk in family caregivers of patients with dementia, caregiving burden of patients with dementia was identified as the most significant risk among five risk domains of family caregivers: information, safety, burden, social support, and health. This finding is consistent with previous studies which indicated that caregivers of patients with dementia have moderate or severe levels of burden and may partially explain burden of caregivers as integrated response to physical, psychological, emotional, social, and financial stressors on caregiving. Burden in caregiving of patients with dementia is the most significant risk domains of family caregivers, followed by social support and health risk of family caregivers. Gender and health-related quality of life of patients with dementia are significant factors of information, burden, and health risk of family caregivers for caregiving. Gender, age, marital status, education, income, employment, having certified care worker, and neuroticism of family caregivers are associated with risk of information, safety, social support, and health of family caregivers in caring for patients with dementia. *This research was supported by research fund by Seoul Dementia Center and Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) funded by the Ministry of Science, ICT and future Planning(NRF. 2013R1A2A2A01069090).