ObjectivesTo explore the levels and trends of household need for caregivers of older people and to explore the impact of potential determinants of psychological burden among caregivers of older people in Thailand.MethodsThe secondary data analysis was performed using the Survey of Older Persons in Thailand 2007, 2011, and 2014 datasets which conducted by the National Statistical Office of Thailand. The household need for caregivers of older persons refers to having at least one older person in the household who needs a caregiver for assistance with activities of daily living. Caregiver mental health, which is confined to the available 2011 data, is defined as a state of psychological burden. Ordinal logistic regression models were used to explore the impact of potential determinants of psychological caregiver burden.ResultsThe household need for caregivers in Thailand tends to be increasing, from 5.0% in 2007 to 6.6% in 2014. The levels of the household need for caregivers were significantly higher in urban areas, Bangkok, and high socioeconomic households. In terms of psychological caregiver burden, the Thai Mental Health Indicators in 2011 produced, on average, a fair level of mental health, but one-fourth of caregivers had poor mental health. Duration of care for older people, household wealth, and functional dependency significantly predict total caregiver burden. Household characteristics are vital in predicting psychological caregiver burden, and the adjusted effect of the fifth quintile of household wealth was high (odds ratio = 2.34; 95% confidence interval = 1.47–3.73).ConclusionThe increasing need for caregiving in households with an older person can lead to a higher caregiver burden, particularly among those caregivers who care for dependent older people in poor households. Longer duration of caregiving is a factor that mitigates this burden.

The household handrail is necessary for dependent older people to perform their daily living activities, improve caregiving competency, and reduce caregiver burden. This study aimed to explore physical burden levels and examine their association with handrail provision among caregivers in older people’s households in Phuttamonthon District, Thailand, in 2017. This study used the physical dimension of the Caregiver Burden Inventory to quantify the levels of physical burden among 254 caregivers in households with a dependent older person. It classified the studied households into three categories: no handrail, one handrail, and more than one handrail. The analysis employed the ordinal logistic model approach. The findings showed that the mean physical burden score was 5 ± 3.85, indicating a high burden. After adjusting for potential factors, the caregivers in older people’s households with one handrail were less likely to experience a high physical burden than those without a handrail (OR = 0.30, 95% CI = 0.14–0.67). Nonetheless, the analysis found no significant differences in physical burden between caregivers of households with more than one handrail and those of households with no handrails. Having handrails in housing might enhance older people’s ability to adjust to disability and illness, ultimately reducing the physical care burden of caregivers. However, having the appropriate number of handrails in older people’s households should be considered.

Caregivers have become older as longevity increases. Caregiving for older people can cause burdens and psychological morbidity, which are the chronic stresses perceived by informal caregivers. This study aimed to compare the levels of care burden and psychological morbidity between older and younger caregivers in low- and middle-income countries. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Venezuela, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and China. Data were collected by the 10/66 Dementia Research Group. The Zarit Burden Inventory was used to measure the levels of burden on caregivers. Psychological morbidity was assessed through the Self-Reporting Questionnaire. Data from 1348 households in which informal caregivers provided home care for one older person were included in the analysis. Multivariable logistic regression was used to investigate the effects of caregiver age upon care burden and psychological morbidity. A fixed-effect meta-analysis model was used to obtain a pooled estimate of the overall odds ratios of each country. The unadjusted and the adjusted model for potential covariates revealed no significant difference in care burden and psychological morbidity between older caregivers and younger caregivers. The adjusted pooled estimates, however, indicated a lower psychological morbidity among older caregivers (OR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.41–0.93, I2 = 0.0%). The demographic implications of caregiver age may suggest different policy responses across low- and middle-income countries.

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Background: Older people worldwide are living with chronic health problems, of whom 80% are from low and middle-income countries. Caregiver stress is a complex interplay of health and socio-economic factors with older caregivers; however, the effects of caregiver age upon their mental health have not been well-described. This study aimed to examine whether caregiver age predicts their mental health outcomes in terms of psychological morbidity and care burden in Latin America and China. Methods: The present study was based on cross-sectional baseline data of seven low and middle-income countries: Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Peru, Venezuela, Mexico, China, and Puerto Rico. Data were collected between February 2003 and June 2009 by the 10/66 Dementia Research Group. Data from 1348 households where the caregiver provided care for one older person in the household were included in the current analysis. Psychological morbidity was assessed through the Self-Reporting Questionnaire. The Zarit Burden Inventory was used to measure the levels of care burden of caregivers. Multivariate logistic regression was used to investigate the effects of caregiver age upon psychological morbidity and care burden. Meta-analysis was performed to obtain a pooled estimate of overall odd ratios and 95% confidence intervals of the analyses from the different countries, using the inverse-variance weighted fixed-effect method.Results: The prevalence of households with older caregivers is almost at the same level as that of households with younger caregivers in Puerto Rico and China. The models unadjusted and adjusted for all potential covariates (household size, number of household assets, caregiver sex, caregiver marital status, caregiver education, cognitive impairment of older person, functional dependency of older person, behavioural problems of older person, and caregiving hours) showed that there was no statistically significant difference in psychological morbidity and care burden between older caregivers and non-older caregivers across countries. The adjusted pooled estimates, however, indicated lower psychological morbidity among older caregivers (OR = 0.61, 95% CI: 0.41–0.93, I2 = 0.0%).Conclusions: Older caregivers are at lower risk of mental health problem than younger caregivers. This information may help to provide a greater understanding for service support, policy makers, and health care providers.

Background: Older people worldwide are living with chronic health problems, of whom 80% were from low and middle-income countries. Caregiver stress is a complex interplay of health and socio-economic factors with older caregivers, however, the effects of caregiver age upon their mental health have not been well-described. This study aimed to examine whether caregiver age predicts their mental health outcomes in terms of psychological morbidity and care burden in Latin America and China.Methods: The present study was based from cross-sectional baseline data of seven low and middle-income countries including; Cuba, Dominican Republic, Peru, Venezuela, Mexico, China, and Puerto Rico, collected between February 2003 and June 2009 by the 10/66 Dementia Research Group. Data from 1348 households where the caregiver provided care for one older person in the household were included in the current analysis. Psychological morbidity was assessed through the Self-Reporting Questionnaire. The Zarit Burden Inventory was used to measure the levels of care burden of caregivers. Multivariate logistic regression was used to investigate the effects of caregiver age upon psychological morbidity and care burden. Meta-analysis was performed to obtain pooled estimating one overall odd ratios and 95% confidence intervals of the analyses from the different countries, using the inverse-variance weighted fixed-effect method.Results: The prevalence of the household with older caregivers is almost the same level as of the households with younger caregivers in Puerto Rico and China. The models unadjusted and adjusted for all potential covariates (household size, number of household asset, caregiver sex, caregiver marital status, caregiver education, cognitive impairment of older person, functional dependency of older person, behavioral problem of older person, and caregiving hours) showed that there was no statistically significant difference in psychological morbidity and care burden between older caregivers and non-older caregivers across countries. The Adjusted pooled estimates, however, indicated lower psychological morbidity among older caregivers (OR = 0.61, 95%CI: 0.41–0.93, I2 = 0.0%).Conclusions: Older caregivers are at lower risk of mental health problem than younger caregivers. This information may help to provide a greater understanding for service support, policy makers and health care providers.