Factors Affecting Family Care of the Elderly and the Optimal Combination between Formal and Family Care

1.本研究编制的家庭护理质量量表具有较好的信度和效度。家庭照护质量较差的领域包括“安全搬家考虑”、“厕所和卫生间的护理条件”、“维护安全保障”、“照顾老年人的功能独立”、“满足社会交往和活动的需要”和“照顾有行为障碍的痴呆症老人”。3.研究发现，影响家庭照护质量的重要因素是主要照顾者的职业倦怠、应对方式和老年护理知识，以及家庭成员在老年护理方面的合作程度。一项有关24小时巡逻式家务助理服务的个案研究发现，这类服务可带来(1)由家人照顾的时间减少，(2)长者和主要照顾者的安全感增加，以及(3)长者的情绪稳定。另一方面，适当的家庭服务套餐，包括24小时巡逻式的家务助理服务，证明(1)减轻了主要照顾者的身体、精神和社会负担，(2)更好地利用了主要照顾者的生活时间，(3)提高了家庭照顾的质量。然而，由于目前正规护理服务的提供不足，我们无法对家庭护理与正规护理的最佳组合进行分析。

1. A Measurement Scale of Quality of Family Care which we developed for this analysis proved to attain a satisfactory level of reliability and validity.2. A less quality of care was found in such domains as 'considerations for safe moving in the house,' 'conditions for care in the toilet and bathroom,' 'maintenance of safety and security,' ' care facilitating the elderly's functional independence,' ' meeting the needs for social contacts and activities' and 'care for the demented elderly with behavioral disturbances.'3. It was disclosed that important factors affecting the quality of family care were the primary caregiver's burnout, coping style and knowledge about elderly care as well as the degree of the cooperation among family members in elderly care.4. As a result of a case study on the 24-hour patrolling type of homehelp service, this type of service was found to bring about (1) decrease of time in caregiving by family, (2) increase of feeling of security in both elderly persons and primary caregivers, and (3) emotional stability of elderly persons.5. On the other hand, the appropriate packages of home services including the 24-hour patrolling type of homehelp service proved to bring about (1) reduction of the primary caregiver's physical, mental and social burdens, (2) better utilization of the primary caregiver's life time and (3) better quality of family care.6. However, due to the insufficient delivery of formal care services at the moment, we could not pursue the analysis on the optimal combination between family care and formal care.