Abstract
ABSTRACTIntroduction: Family members as informal caregivers are the most common and important providers of caring services in the home environment of patients suffering from chronic diseases.The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between the functional and mental performance of patients being provided long-term nursing home care and the burden of their caregivers.Materials and methods: The study was carried out in the Lublin region from September 2016 to February 2017. The study group included 149 patients with chronic diseases under long-term nursing home care and their 150 informal caregivers. The burden of the caregivers was assessed by means of the Carers of Older People in Europe (COPE) Index questionnaire which is used to check different aspects of the caregivers’ roles, life situations and relationships with the care recipients. The patients’ functional performance was measured by means of the Barthel Index for Activities of Daily Living, while their mental performance was checked using the Abbreviated Mental Test Score.Results: According to the COPE Index, the caregivers’ burden for particular subscales was as follows: Negative Influence of Care (NIC) 11.80 (SD = 3.75), Positive Value of Care (PVC) 13.71 (SD = 2.07), Quality of Support (QS) 12.46 (SD = 2.69). It has been indicated that the worse the functional and mental performance of the patient under care, the greater the burden of the carers – NIC (p < 0.01), the lower the satisfaction with care – PVC (p < 0.01) and the lower the quality of support given – QS (p < 0.01). The deterioration of a patient’s mental performance correlates with the female gender of the caregiver and the longer duration of care.Conclusions: The lower functional and mental performance of patients who are being provided long-term nursing home care has a relationship to the experience of the negative effects of care by informal carers, lower satisfaction with care and lower quality of support.
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