The Psychological Health of Patients and their Caregivers

Abstract

Hip-fracture (HF) patients are among the most vulnerable of hospitalised patients. The associated caregiving rehabilitation task often falls to a member of the patient’s family. Informal caregivers are an important resource for elderly patients suffering from a hip fracture because they play a key role during their recovery. A mutual relationship seems to exist between the patient’s psychological well-being and the caregiver’s burden, so that improvements in the state of health of the one boost that of the other, and vice versa. This datum confirms the importance of using a bio-psycho-social approach when dealing with both patients and caregivers and evaluating the HF patient’s and caregiver’s psychological status. In this chapter, we illustrate why the psychological status of patients and their caregivers is important in the management and outcome of hip fracture, how it should be assessed and how it could be positively influenced by the orthogeriatric team.

Quality of Life and Depression Status of Caregivers of Patients with Femoral Neck or Intertrochanteric Femoral Fractures during the First Year after Fracture Treatment

“…Another potential reason for the faster recovery of the mental component of the SF‐36 is that most of our caregivers were relatives of the patients. Since the caregiver–patient relationship is a vital factor affecting the mental status of caregivers, 25 our caregivers may have adapted well mentally due to the deep and loving connection between themselves and the patients. Moreover, it is a foundational precept in Thai culture that offspring take care of their parents 26 .…”

“…This finding emphasizes that the highest burden of caregiving (both physically and mentally) occurs early after fracture treatment. This high burden may result from most caregivers not having experience or skills in caring for older adults with a hip fracture 27 . Such a situation would adversely affect the caregivers' quality of life and mental health early after patient discharge.…”

“…This high burden may result from most caregivers not having experience or skills in caring for older adults with a hip fracture. 27 Such a situation would adversely affect the caregivers' quality of life and mental health early after patient discharge. However, the physical and mental burdens would steadily diminish as the caregivers learned how to manage them.…”