Caregiver Burden among Informal Caregivers of Rural Older Persons in Nepal

Abstract

Background: Today, people are living longer than ever before due to advances in education, technology, medicine, food distribution, and public health. Longevity has also resulted in a caregiving burden in the family living together. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the situation of the elderly caregiving burden in Nepal. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study carried out in a rural area of Nepal. The total sample size for this study was 150 older persons 65 years and above. The caregiving burden was measured through the widely used scale Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI). Results: Mean age of the care recipients (elderly) was 78.46 (±7.78) years and the mean age of the care provider was 46.6 (±46) years. The mean score of the caregiving burden was 12.89 (±5.7). The majority of the caregiver has reported little or no burden (88%), 10% mild to the moderate burden, 1.33% moderate to severe burden and only one respondent (0.67%) has reported severe burden. Marital status, ethnicity, religion, living arrangement, and functional limitations on activities on daily living were significant variables related to caregiving burden. Conclusion: This study shows the caregiving burden is quite low among Nepalese care providers living in a rural area. Given the growing number of elderly people, there is an urgent need to care for the wellbeing of dependent older people and their families.