Family caregivers of the elderly: quality of life and coping in Estonia

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to analyse the assessments of elderly people aged 65 and more about family caregiving as a factor influencing their quality of life and coping. The study is based on the project SUFACARE*'Supporting family carers and care receivers in Estonia and in Finland'*in the framework of which the Institute of Social Work of Tallinn University carried out postal surveys in 2010. The Estonian survey was conducted in Tallinn and Lääne-Viru County. The total number of respondents was 581 (70% female and 30% male), of whom 98 (n 074 female and n 024 male) were family caregivers. Caregiving has not influenced the physical and mental health of caregivers, the reason being that many people who receive care are not of very ill health or suffer from dementia. People mostly take care of their spouses. Based on the Estonian Family Law Act (RT I 2009, 60, 395), adult descendants are required to provide maintenance if their relatives are not able to care for themselves. Caregivers whose health is below average consider caring to be physically demanding. We cannot speak of the social isolation of respondents who have care duties*they communicate actively and do not feel lonely. Women report caregiving to be physically strenuous more often than men. The mental health of male caregivers is better*fewer male respondents claimed to feel unhappy or depressed compared to female respondents.Uurimuse eesmärgiks on analü ü sida vanuses 65 ja vanemate inimeste hinnanguid, kuidas omastehooldus mõ jutab nende elukvaliteeti ja igapäevast toimetulekut. Materjal põ hineb SUFACARE projekti ,,Omastehooldajate ja hooldatavate toetamine Eestis ja Soomes'' andmetele, mille raames Tallinna Ü likooli Sotsiaaltö ö Instituut viis aastal 2010 läbi postikü sitluse Tallinnas ja Lääne-Virumaal. Vastajate koguarv oli 581 (neist 70% naised ja 30% mehed), kelledest 98 olid omastehooldajad (n 074 naist ja n 024 meest). Hooldamine ei mõ jutanud omastehooldajate fü ü silist ega ka vaimset tervist. Põ hjus peitub selles, et paljud hooldatavad ei olnud väga haiged inimesed ega polnud ka dementsed. Hooldatavaks oli enamus juhtudel abikaasa võ i elukaaslane. Eesti Perekonnaseaduse (RT I 2009, 60, 395) kohaselt on täiskasvanud lapsed kohustatud tagama ü lalpidamise, kui nende vanemad ei ole võ imelised enda eest hoolitsema. Hooldajad, kelle tervis oli alla keskmise väitsid, et hooldamine on fü ü siliselt pingutav. Hoolduskoorumusega vastajate puhul ei saa rääkida nende sotsiaalsest isolatsioonist*nad suhtlevad aktiivselt ja ei tunne ennast ü ksikuna. Naised märgivad sagedamini, et hooldamine on fü ü siliselt raske. Meeshooldajate vaimne tervis on parem*võ rreldes naisvastajatega väidavad mehed harvem, et tunnevad õ nnetuna võ i on depressioonis.

Effectiveness of Interaction with Children on Happiness among the Elderly: A Pilot Study

“…1 The elderly reap joy from their families and children. 2 Most elderly seek happiness in their homes, being surrounded by their children and grandchildren. 3 Investigations in diverse contexts reveal that the elderly fancy living in their own homes and communities.…”

Family-to-work spillover and appraisals of caregiving by employed women caring for their elderly parents in Japan

“…Lin, Chen, and Li 23 ) suggested that the quality of the relationship between the caregiver and the care recipient is an important factor influencing caregiver’s behavior and caregiving. Another study suggested that the negative effects of caregiving included feelings of isolation 24 ) , financial problems 12 ) , and relationship problems at home 25 ) . Therefore, understanding factors such as fulfillment from the caregiving role, quality of the relationship, feelings of isolation, and relationship problems at home are important when interpreting caregiving situations.…”