Burden and quality of life among caregivers of patients with parkinson's disease

Abstract

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease which affects not only the patients but also the caregivers due to the progressive nature of the disease. A quantitative descriptive research approach was used to assess the burden and quality of life (QOL) among caregivers of patients with PD. A total of 72 caregivers were enrolled using total enumerative sampling technique. Data were collected using Zarit burden interview scale and PD Questionnaire-Carer QOL scale. The findings revealed that majority (52.8%) of the caregivers were female. The mean burden score was 26.63 ± 17.09. Majority (45.84%) of them had less burden. Poor QOL was experienced by 25% of caregivers. Positive correlation was found between burden and QOL (r = 0.608; P < 0.001). Significant association was found between selected sociodemographic variables of caregivers such as education, occupation, locality, total number of children, hours spent in caregiving and comorbidities with their level of burden and QOL. Among the clinical variables of patients, activities of daily living were found to have significant association with burden (P = 0.005; P < 0.01) and QOL (P = 0.002; P < 0.01). Knowledge and understanding of caregivers' burden and QOL can provide insights into how nurses can support and empower caregivers to enhance their QOL and that of their care recipients.