Caregiver Burden among Caregivers of Koreans with Dementia

Abstract

Background: Most studies on caregiver burden have been conducted in Western countries, while few studies on the correlates of caregiver burden have been performed in Korea. Objective: To suggest better policies for the care of dementia patients by using a nationwide database to identify factors that affect caregiver burden in Korea. Methods: The database of the Korean National Health Insurance (KNHI) and National Medical Aid (NMA) programs, which covers all Koreans, was used. A sample of 609 dementia patients and their caregivers was selected from a total of 85,281 dementia patients in 2004 and interviewed to evaluate the total cost of care and caregiver burden. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis was then performed to identify significant independent predictors of caregiver burden. Results: Among caregiver-related factors, caregiver burden was higher in those who were female, had a history of home care during the previous year, and had less education. Among patient-related factors, poor ADL/IADL function was significant. The most interesting result was that subjective sense of socioeconomic status (good/fair/poor) was a stronger predictor of caregiver outcome than actual economic costs. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that interventions to assist patients with dementia should focus on female caregivers, especially those considered likely to be suffering from an economic burden. Interventions should also aim to improve the ADL and IADL capacities of patients.

The CUIDEME Study: Determinants of Burden in Chilean Primary Caregivers of Patients with Dementia

“…Other studies have reported an inverse relationship between income and level of strain, i.e., caregivers with low income or high financial strain exhibited higher burden [2,45]. It is difficult to compare our results with these studies due to methodological differences.…”

“…The evidence on the relationship between caregiver burden and functional status has been inconsistent. Some studies have found that functional status is associated with caregiver burden [45,46] but others have not [27]. Cognition [40], or cognitive-functional status, has been found to be a predictor of caregiver burden, but explained less variance than behavioral disturbances [33].…”

Factors Associated with Caregiver Burden in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease

“…Mohamed et al3 found that severity of psychiatric symptoms, behavioral disturbances, and patient quality of life have a stronger association with caregiver-experienced burden. Kim et al5 reported that caregiver-related factors, such as gender, history of home care, and education level are correlated with caregiver burden. Additionally, patient-related factors such as performance of activities of daily living (ADLs) have been related to burden.…”

Korean Americans in Dementia Caregiving Research: Inclusive Strategies to Barriers in Recruitment

“…In South Korea, by contrast, the recruitment process can be more representative thanks to the availability of nationwide databases. One study (Kim, Hong, Lee, Kim, Kang, & Lee, 2008) used the two nationwide databases which cover all Koreans in South Korea (e.g., the Korean National Health Insurance and National Medical Aid). The authors recruited the sample of dementia patients and their family caregivers using random sampling by stratification according to age, sex, and region of residence .…”