Quantitative Study: Burdens among Parkinson’s disease Caregiver

Although the focus is on evaluating the caregivers’ quality of life, it is important to acknowledge how the patient themselves are in terms of well-ness when analyzing the caregiver, as varying levels of dementia can determine the amount of care needed. Shua-Haim, Hain, Shi, Kuo & Smith (2001) found that caregivers who cared for patients with depression were 3.1 times more likely to develop depression themselves, than those who took care of non-depressed patients. Baumgartern et al. (1994) older study indicated relatively similar results. After taking the CED scale, caregivers of dementia patients were 2.1 points more depressed than compared to the non-dementia caregiver group. These studies indicate, if the patient resembles depressive like symptoms, caregivers will likely do the same. It is also important to consider the patient’s symptoms and behavior as a factor on burden and the emotional toll it takes on the caregiver. Beach et al. (2005) found patients who needed more care in their activities of daily living, were more likely to report potentially harmful caregiver behaviors. This suggest possibly a higher negative impact on informal caregivers, caring for loved ones with more severe dementia.

In the U.S, one in four will be aged 60 years and older by 2050 (U.S. Census Bureau). This represents an overwhelming number of people who will either be in the caretaker role or be the ROC. Like today, most of the care will be provided by informal unpaid caregivers. The number of informal unpaid caregivers is expected to rise from 20 million in 2000 to 37 million in 2050 (Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation [ASPE], 2003). Because of the burden of care giving, many caregivers will experience depression, poor health and quality of life (Etters, Goodall, & Harrison, 2008). Their well-being is an important public health concern.

Throughout this essay I will share the reasons I have found for there being difficulties and also rewards of being a carer for a family member. ‘A carer is someone of any age who provides unpaid support to care for family or friends who could not manage without this help. This could be caring for a relative, partner or friend who is ill, frail, disabled or has mental health or substance misuse problems.’ (Carers Trust) I will attempt to use my course materials to draw on the experiences of Ann Walker who cares for her elderly step father Angus who has developed Parkinsons’ disease. Firstly I will look at some of the following difficulties that I have identified and due to the limitations of this study I will then briefly discuss the

Primary prevention -- using methods to prevent a disease before it begins -- requires an understanding of the disease’s cause. Most cases of PD are idiopathic; these result from an interaction between genetic factors and the environment (Heath, 2011). Five to ten percent of PD cases are due to inherited genetic mutations (Gillies et al., 2014; Heath, 2011). The largest risk factor for developing PD is increased age (Stacy et al., 2009). PD has a

The goals of this case study are to gather empirical evidence through comprehensive research to make an observable difference in the spouses caring for their loved ones with dementia. The problem spouses are facing while providing care for a loved one stricken with dementia can be overwhelming. First we assessed the quality of life in spouses caring for loved one with dementia. Second we wanted to provide concrete tools for the spouses who are the caregivers for loved ones with dementia. Thirdly we wanted to educate and instruct on improving quality of life for the spouses.

Caregivers play a crucial role in the care of dementia patients. Providing care for dementia patients results in stress related health impacts to the caregiver. The caregivers go through a journey with the dementia patient and need a strong support system. The best approach to dementia care is for health care providers to provide information to and monitor the caregiver, in addition to the dementia patient, encourage the caregiver to take care of themselves, to seek support, and to work as a team to provide the best care for the dementia patient.

This improvement project will be in the context of a long-term care facility. People with Parkinson’s disease (PD) usually go to long term care facilities when the disease is more advanced. When a person is at the stage of not being able to care for him or herself, it can be a hard to decide to go to a long-term care facility. When deciding to go to a long-term care facility, it is usually when all parties, such as the caregiver and the person with Parkinson’s agree it is not safe to be at home (Tolson, 2007). When there is good communication with everyone involved, it can improve the quality of life for the circumstance (Tolson, 2007). Communication can help ease the confusion by knowing what is going on at all times at the facility. The first couple of weeks the patient in the nursing home

Millions of people are in the role of a part or full time caregiver in the U.S to family members who have a serious illness or disability. This a a very challenging and demanding role that needs to be recognized and appreciated.

There may be some sense of grief and disappointment but emotional support is garnered to strengthen the members from the family by the caregiver. The patient needs to be kept in a general well being condition regardless of the pace this illness is taking. The best of care services are extended to the patient at all stages of this illness regardless of its pace of deterioration. The dementia care rendered includes a normal life schedule as much as possible for the patient and the rest of the

Providing care for a family member can cause a tremendous strain for the primary caregiver in many areas of his/her life including financial, physical, and psychological which often results in both increased emotional needs and physical complications for the caregiver (Eun-Jeong Lee, DeDios, Fong, Simonette & Lee, 2013). As disabled older adults live longer lives, there is now an increasing need to rely on others to assist them with their day-to-day activities and activities of daily living (ADL), and that role often falls upon the spouses of the impaired or close family members (Barbosa, Figueirdo, Sousa & Demain, 2010). Research data provided by the National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) estimated that there were approximately 44 million caregivers age 18 and over, with one third of those caregivers being male, whom were providing care to adults age 50 and above (National Alliance for Caregiving, 2015). These

Carer’s of people with dementia often find themselves adapting to constantly changing situations, and they need to cope with both the practical demands of caring and the emotional impact of the person's dementia. The carer may have to take on more roles and responsibilities. As dementia progresses, there

Overall, people who take care of dementia patients must handle health care responsibilities of the person with dementia more often than caregivers of people who do not have dementia. Some of the common tasks outlined by the Alzheimer’s Association include assisting with daily activities around the house, managing the medications, helping with activities of daily living such as getting dressed and bathing, and providing support for the person with dementia as the disease progresses. Dementia residents require significantly more assistance with activities of daily living and help around the house in comparison to other older adults (Alzheimer’s Association, 2016). Due to the time consuming responsibilities and the increasing level of care required during this stage, this might be a time when informal caregivers outsource some the responsibility to formal caregivers and facilities equipped for the level of intensity required.

A nonsystematic study reviewed previous research and noted the importance of assisting caregivers as there are nearly four million adult caregivers nationwide.7 Researchers from the School of Nursing in Michigan gave insight about the issues faced by caregivers, and how to better meet their caregiving needs. Legislation review and five meta-analyses were conducted in order to see the many implications caregivers face as well offer ways to help them. National data showed these caregivers estimate an average of 8.3 hours a day providing care near 13.7 months. 5 Along with innumerable physical changes, sleep disturbances, and changes financial well-being, psychological impairment and moods disturbance were a great topic of research. In several

Eighty percent of senior care is provided by family members. While this is a beautiful statistic that shows family unity, the American Psychiatric Association notes that this care comes at a terrible cost for caregivers. "Between 40 to 70 percent of caregivers have clinically significant symptoms of depression, with approximately one-half of these caregivers meeting the diagnostic criteria for major depression." Additionally, "caregivers report increased physical ailments as compared to non-caregivers, that include, but are not limited to, chronic pain such as headaches and backaches. Over time, caregiving may erode one's subjective experience of health."

The older adult population in the United States has steadily increased thanks to technology and medical advances. While this definitely is an undeniable achievement, it also creates some challenges that society was not as prevalent to face before. Now that people are living longer it’s also means that often times family members are becoming caregivers to their loved ones during their so called golden years. Not only may it be difficult to care for a loved one, but it also becomes even more burdensome when their loved has a disability. In fact “dementia is one of the major causes of disability and dependency among older people worldwide.” (2016). Fortunately there are adult day centers that serve people with dementia and provide services that can benefit them. However many times caregivers are forgotten about and aren’t provided services that can also benefit them as well. While it does take a bit of pressure off of the caregivers while their loved ones are at the day center, it does not eliminate all the other effects. Many people may not be aware that there are detrimental effects that a caregiver may experience as a result of caring for someone with dementia.