Challenges faced by the caregivers of the elderly: a cross-sectional survey from India

BackgroundOlder people often require support due to age-related health issues, thereby increasing their dependency on caregivers. The caregivers often experience burdens of varying nature. ObjectiveTo assess the dependency level of the elderly and the challenges faced by their caregivers. Materials and MethodA total of 1265 elderly and 1000 caregivers were enrolled consecutively from an urban locality. After obtaining informed consent, the elderly were interviewed using the Lawton Independent Activities of Daily Living Scale to assess their dependency levels while the caregivers were interviewed using the Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale to assess their burden related to caregiving. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Institute. ResultsAbout half (52.7%) of the elderly were aged between 60 and 70 years old and were female (54%). Sixty percent of the elderly were affected by a single illness. Among caregivers, 46% were aged between 31 and 40 years, 60% were female, and 44% were unemployed. The mean per capita family income was Rs 12 202.06 +/- 7025.16 per month. It was found that about half (51.4%) of the elderly were independent, 48.1% were partially dependent and 0.5% were fully dependent. Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale revealed that 58.6% of caregivers experienced no to mild burden, 39.4% had mild to moderate burden, 2.0% had moderate to severe burden while none of them experienced severe burden. Significant association was found between the elderly's dependency level and their age, gender, education, occupation, and number of illnesses. It was also observed that an increase in the independence status of the elders reduces the caregiver's burden (r = -0.454, P < 0.01). ConclusionThe caregiver burden increases with the dependency level of the elderly, highlighting the need for adequate support for caregivers.