TY - JOUR
T1 - Assistance provided in daily tasks and difficulty experienced by caregivers for people living with dementia
AU - Amato, Carmen
AU - Burridge, Gemma
AU - Basic, David
AU - Huynh, Danielle
AU - Gibbons, Emma
AU - Ní Chróinín, Danielle
AU - Liu, Karen P.Y.
N1 - Funding Information:
The work was supported by the NSW/ACT Dementia Training Study Centre (DTSC) through the Honours Scholarship program awarded to DH. The authors thank all participants in this study and the Western Sydney University research team.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2021 Occupational Therapy Australia
PY - 2021/6
Y1 - 2021/6
N2 - Introduction: There is a growing body of research that addresses caregivers for people living with dementia. However, there is limited research looking at the perceptions of caregivers in specific daily tasks. To address this gap, this study investigated the assistance caregivers provided and the difficulty they faced when completing daily tasks for people with dementia and, additionally, how these experiences might relate to their perceived burden. Methods: Sixty-two caregivers for people living with dementia completed the study. Data were collected, through a survey, on the level of assistance caregivers provided, and the difficulties they experienced. The Zarit Burden Scale was used to measure the level of perceived burden. Descriptive statistics and Spearman's correlation coefficient were used to report the results and the relationship between the perceived burden, the level of assistance provided, and the difficulty experienced. Results: The activities of daily living that caregivers provided the most assistance for was dressing and showering. Most instrumental activities of daily living required maximal to total assistance. Overall, the caregivers did not experience a high level of difficulty with assisting with these daily tasks in comparison to the level of assistance provided. The caregiver burden was associated significantly with the difficulties experienced in dressing, toileting, and showering (rho = 0.30–0.75), most instrumental activities of daily living (rho = 0.29–0.47), but not with the level of assistance provided. Conclusion: Caregivers are assisting in many daily tasks. Their level of difficulty is relatively low in comparison to the level of assistance they provide. Significant correlations were found between the difficulties experienced and the burden scale. There is a need for occupational therapists to address the specific daily tasks and the concerns experienced by caregivers and to provide them with adequate support to improve the quality of care for people with dementia.
AB - Introduction: There is a growing body of research that addresses caregivers for people living with dementia. However, there is limited research looking at the perceptions of caregivers in specific daily tasks. To address this gap, this study investigated the assistance caregivers provided and the difficulty they faced when completing daily tasks for people with dementia and, additionally, how these experiences might relate to their perceived burden. Methods: Sixty-two caregivers for people living with dementia completed the study. Data were collected, through a survey, on the level of assistance caregivers provided, and the difficulties they experienced. The Zarit Burden Scale was used to measure the level of perceived burden. Descriptive statistics and Spearman's correlation coefficient were used to report the results and the relationship between the perceived burden, the level of assistance provided, and the difficulty experienced. Results: The activities of daily living that caregivers provided the most assistance for was dressing and showering. Most instrumental activities of daily living required maximal to total assistance. Overall, the caregivers did not experience a high level of difficulty with assisting with these daily tasks in comparison to the level of assistance provided. The caregiver burden was associated significantly with the difficulties experienced in dressing, toileting, and showering (rho = 0.30–0.75), most instrumental activities of daily living (rho = 0.29–0.47), but not with the level of assistance provided. Conclusion: Caregivers are assisting in many daily tasks. Their level of difficulty is relatively low in comparison to the level of assistance they provide. Significant correlations were found between the difficulties experienced and the burden scale. There is a need for occupational therapists to address the specific daily tasks and the concerns experienced by caregivers and to provide them with adequate support to improve the quality of care for people with dementia.
KW - activities of daily living
KW - dementia
KW - dependency burden
KW - family caregivers
KW - occupational therapy
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85100160816&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1111/1440-1630.12720
DO - 10.1111/1440-1630.12720
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 33533025
AN - SCOPUS:85100160816
SN - 0045-0766
VL - 68
SP - 236
EP - 245
JO - Australian Occupational Therapy Journal
JF - Australian Occupational Therapy Journal
IS - 3
ER -