Abstract
The household handrail is necessary for dependent older people to perform their daily living activities, improve caregiving competency, and reduce caregiver burden. This study aimed to explore physical burden levels and examine their association with handrail provision among caregivers in older people’s households in Phuttamonthon District, Thailand, in 2017. This study used the physical dimension of the Caregiver Burden Inventory to quantify the levels of physical burden among 254 caregivers in households with a dependent older person. It classified the studied households into three categories: no handrail, one handrail, and more than one handrail. The analysis employed the ordinal logistic model approach. The findings showed that the mean physical burden score was 5 ± 3.85, indicating a high burden. After adjusting for potential factors, the caregivers in older people’s households with one handrail were less likely to experience a high physical burden than those without a handrail (OR = 0.30, 95% CI = 0.14–0.67). Nonetheless, the analysis found no significant differences in physical burden between caregivers of households with more than one handrail and those of households with no handrails. Having handrails in housing might enhance older people’s ability to adjust to disability and illness, ultimately reducing the physical care burden of caregivers. However, having the appropriate number of handrails in older people’s households should be considered.
Highlights
The world’s population is getting older, accompanied by an increase in age-related disability [1]
After adjusting for caregiver background variables, including age, sex, marital status, education, working status, relationship to the older person(s), duration of being a caregiver, and sandwich carer status, Model 2 shows that the effect of household handrail provision on physical caregiver burden became non-significant (OR = 0.58, 95% CI = 0.32–1.04)
For Model 4, which adjusted for the caregiver and household backgrounds and older person’s health status, the findings show that the effect of household handrail provision on physical caregiver burden remained statistically significant
Summary
The world’s population is getting older, accompanied by an increase in age-related disability [1]. According to the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health, known as the ICF framework, facilitating environments, including home modifications and assistive devices (i.e., handrails and grab bars), helps to maintain older people’s independence and makes caregiving for older people with impairments easier and safer [2,3]. The provision of household handrails may be a possible determinant that influences the quality of life of older people and appears to reduce the burden of caregivers in providing support for the activities of daily living (ADLs) of older people [4,5]. Care provision at home by persons who lack care training or resources and supportive environments can generate high physical health problems, significant fatigue, and caregivers’ sleep impairment [6,7,8,9]. The potential of the physical burden as a result of caregiving is a factor that can affect the termination of a caregiver’s role or, in the worst cases, elder abuse [10]
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