Parkinson's Disease Caregiver Strain in Singapore.

Siok-Bee Tan,Eng-King Tan,Meg E Morris,Richard B Clark,Allison F Williams

doi:10.3389/fneur.2020.00455

Abstract

Background: Caregiver strain is recognized globally with Parkinson's disease (PD). Comparatively little is understood about caregiver burden and strain in Asia.Objective: To investigate caregiver strain for families living with PD in Singapore, in light of international data.Methods: Ninety-four caregivers were recruited via people living with idiopathic PD in Singapore. Caregiver strain was assessed using the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI); health status was assessing using the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale for Geriatrics (CIRS-G). PD disability measures were the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) and modified Hoehn and Yahr (1967) Scale.Results: Primary caregivers of people living with PD in Singapore were mostly cohabiting spouses, partners or offspring. Around half employed foreign domestic helpers. Mean caregiving duration was 5.9 years with an average of eight hours per day spent in caregiving roles. Most care providers were comparatively healthy. Caregivers reported significant levels of strain which increased with greater level of disability (r = 0.36, n = 94, p < 0.001). Associations were significant between caregiver strain and scores on the UPDRS mentation, behavior, and mood subscales [r = 0.46, n = 94, p < 0.001, 95% CI (0.28, 0.60)]. High scores on the UPDRS activities of daily living subscale were associated with caregiver strain [r = 0.50, n = 94, p < 0.001, CI (0.33, 0.64)].Conclusion: Most caregivers in this Singapore sample reported high levels of strain, despite comparatively good physical function. Caregiver strain in PD spans geopolitical and cultural boundaries and correlates with disease severity. These results support the need for better early recognition, education, and support for caregivers of people living with PD.

Highlights

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a debilitating and progressive condition that impacts the lives of individuals and their families [1]
Caregiver burden associated with PD is welldocumented for Europe [2,3,4,5,6,7] and North America [8,9,10,11], there is a lack of published data for the south-east Asia region
People living with PD had a range of levels of disease severity when functioning at their best (Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a debilitating and progressive condition that impacts the lives of individuals and their families [1]. Parkinson’s Disease Caregiver Strain Singapore [12, 13]. It is important to understand how PD affects their caregivers because the prevalence of PD in South-East Asia ranges from 79 to 193 per 100,000 population [14]. More than six million people will be living with PD in Asia by 2030 due to rapid population aging and lifestyle factors [15]. It can place a heavy burden on primary caregivers [17, 18]. Caregiver strain is recognized globally with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Little is understood about caregiver burden and strain in Asia

Results

Discussion

Conclusion