The profile of informal caregivers of older people in the city of Zagreb

4Citations
Citations of this article
11Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.
Get full text

Abstract

Older people represent a specific group with very different needs, depending on their physical and mental health status. The share of older people in the overall population is growing, which is called demographic ageing. That process is a result of the decline in birth rate and increase of life expectancy due to the advancement of medicine and improved quality of life in general. At the same time the number of those who need long-term care or support is also increasing, because of their inability to live independently. Informal caregivers, who in most cases are close family members, play a key role in this process. Therefore, the aim of this research was to identify sociodemographic features of the informal caregivers of older people and the features of the care they provide. The survey was carried out on a convenient sample of 342 informal caregivers from the Zagreb city area. The results showed that caregivers are most often middle-aged married and employed women. It has also been found that they generally care for their parents, who lived to a ripe old age, with the presence of multimorbidity. Even one third of caregivers have provided care for 24 hours a day, during an average period of five years or more. Activities in which they most often provide help are care for the sick and household chores. They expressed a greater need for help and care in homes, patronage services, gerontology centres and infirmaries. The results showed that family caregivers bear a heavy burden, which points to the need to consider better legal solutions related to social policy towards old people as well as their caregivers.

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Štambuk, A., Rusac, S., & Skokandić, L. (2019). The profile of informal caregivers of older people in the city of Zagreb. Revija Za Socijalnu Politiku, 26(2), 189–206. https://doi.org/10.3935/rsp.v26i2.1579

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free