Care burden and burnout levels of individuals caring for homecare patients

Abstract

Aging is an important problem. Nowadays life conditions have become more sophisticated. Homecare services include people with old age, disabilities, chronic illnesses, or individuals in recovery. We all have to support our elderly people’s life feel more comfortable but should not forget the difficulties of caregivers in life. In this study, we aimed to evaluate that may occur in our elderly population as well as their relatives. This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. The sociodemographic characteristics of the participants, the General Health Questionnaire – 28 (GHQ-28), Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), and Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale (ZCBS) were analyzed. SPSS 24.0 program was used for the analysis. Of the 150 caregiving people included in the study, 67.3% of the caregivers were first-degree relatives. The main disease of 65.3% of the patients who were cared for was neurological. Caregivers who performed care over two years had higher scores on the ZCBS and MBI, but it was only ZCBS that was statistically significant in this group (p=0.16). It may be a support method for both parts to reduce the burden of care of individuals who care for their patients at home and to contribute to their social lives.