Caregiving burden of family of impaired elderly at home and prevention of breakdown

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The aims of this research are to examine both positive and negative attitudes of caregiving and factors associated with them and to consider the more adequate support system in order to predict and prevent the breakdown of caregiving to elderly at home.From September to October of the year, 1997, a questionnaire was administered to 180 main caregivers toelderly at home in Yamagata Prefecture in Japan and 111 responses were analyzed.1).84.7% of caregivers expressed the feeling of burden toward caregiving. 44.1% of respondents felt physical burden and 74.8% expressed psychological burden.2).Using the scores of burden developed by Zarit, the factors associated with the feeling of burden on the side of elderly were the level of caregiving, the syndrome of dementia.abnormalmentalsyndrome, the level of bed-ridden and the change of personal character. On the side of caregivers, occupation of caregivers (65 years of age and older), the total time of caregiving per day (more than 12 hours), the interruption of sleep, health conditions of caregivers, occupation of caregivers, and human relations with elderly were associated with the feeling of burden.3).97 caregivers (85.4%) expressed their experience of positive feeling toward caregiving. Factors associated with positive feeling toward caregiving were the high degree of care-needs in everyday activities with reference to the level of ADL of elderly, good human relations in family, and non-intervention to caregiving from relatives and family members. The caregivers who had experienced positive feeling to their caregiving expressed more willingness to continue caregiving.