Abstract
With the rapid increase in the elderly population, there is a simultaneous increased need for care provided by family caregivers. Research in the field of head and neck cancer has indicated that caring for patients with dysphagia can impact a caregiver’s quality of life. Given that many older adults present with dysphagia, one can assume that their caregivers are equally, if not more greatly, affected. The purpose of this systematic review was to examine all relevant literature regarding the caregiver burden in caregivers of community-dwelling older adults with dysphagia. A review of relevant studies published through April 2018 was conducted using search terms related to dysphagia, caregiver burden, and older adults. The search yielded 2331 unique abstracts. Of the 176 abstracts that underwent full review, four were accepted. All reported an increase in caregiver burden due to presence of dysphagia in care recipients. Worsening feeding-related behaviors were associated with burden, and the use of feeding tubes was more frequently associated with “heavy burden”. The presence of dysphagia in community-dwelling older adults is a factor leading to an increased burden among caregivers. Although aspects of dysphagia play a role in the caregiver burden, the specific reasons for the increased burden are unknown. Clinicians should be aware of dysphagia as a source of the burden, and future studies should further define the relationship between dysphagia and the caregiver burden in order to develop comprehensive approaches to care.
Highlights
IntroductionOlder adults are more susceptible to developing dysphagia (swallowing difficulties) [1,2], which is a contributor to the high physical, psychosocial, and financial costs associated with disease [3]
Older adults are more susceptible to developing dysphagia [1,2], which is a contributor to the high physical, psychosocial, and financial costs associated with disease [3]
Because of the extreme divergence of methods used to measure both the caregiver burden and swallowing impairments across the included studies, it was not possible to reach objective conclusions about the prevalence or common causes of the caregiver burden. Previous research in both head and neck cancer and neurologic populations has pointed to several potential causes of burden, all of which may be applicable to caregivers of community-dwelling older adults; further research is required to confirm this
Summary
Older adults are more susceptible to developing dysphagia (swallowing difficulties) [1,2], which is a contributor to the high physical, psychosocial, and financial costs associated with disease [3]. Dysphagia can result in decreased eating, leading to malnutrition and increased pulmonary compromise and mortality [4,5,6,7] It can result in decreased social participation, and increased anxiety and depression, which have been linked to decreased quality of life and increased mortality [8,9,10]. Dysphagia does not exist within an isolated individual and may yield psychosocial strain on the entire family unit [11]. Mealtimes and their related rituals foster interpersonal involvement and social connections. Disruptions in daily life stemming from dysphagia likely affect the psychosocial well-being of an entire family, the primary caregivers [12,13,14,15,16]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
