Potential risks of being old aged caregiver

Moatassem  S. Amer; Dr. Shereen M. Mousa; Samia A. Abdul–Rahman; Randa A. Reda Mabrook; Valin A. Raafat

Volume : V, Issue : V, May - 2015

Potential risks of being old aged caregiver

Moatassem S. Amer, Dr. Shereen M. Mousa, Samia A. Abdul Rahman, Randa A. Reda Mabrook, Valin A. Raafat

Abstract :

&nbsp;Background: With the aging of the population, more caregivers are elderly, yet the potential risks&nbsp; of caregiving process is less addressed among old aged caregivers. Objectives: to assess potential risks&nbsp; of caregiving process among old aged caregivers compared to non&ndash;caregivers Methods: A Case&ndash;control study was conducted on 90 elderly subjects 60 caregiver cases (30 males and 30 females) and 30 non&ndash;caregiver controls (14 males&nbsp; and 16 females). All of whom were &ge; 60 years recruited from either inpatient wards or outpatient clinics of Ain Shams&nbsp; University Hospitals. Data regarding demographic characteristics, medical history and physical examination were taken.&nbsp; Geriatric Depression Scale, Mini&ndash;mental Status Examination, Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale, Spielberger anxiety scale,&nbsp; Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and assessment of some of cardiovascular risks (fasting blood sugar, high sensitivity C&nbsp; reactive protein, serum lipids, and glycated hemoglobin) was performed. Results: Compared to controls; elderly caregivers had significantly higher anxiety and poorer sleep (p value &lt; 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference between caregivers and controls regarding depression (p = 0.07) or cognitive impairment (p = 0.05). Caregivers&nbsp; were more prone to cardiovascular risk factors. They had higher levels of fasting blood sugar (P = 0.004), high sensitivity C&ndash;reactive protien (P = 0.001), triglycerides (P = 0.003), total cholesterol, low density lipoprotein cholesterol (P &lt;&nbsp; 0.00), and glycated hemoglobin (P = 0.03). Zarit Caregiver Burden Scale showed no significant difference between&nbsp; males and females regarding caregiver burden (P = 0.2). Interpretation &amp; Conclusion: caregiving process in elderly&nbsp; population is significantly associated with anxiety, sleep problems and cardiovascular risk factors.&nbsp;