Prevalence of chronic illnesses and characteristics of chronically ill informal caregivers of persons with dementia

Abstract

Objectives: To examine the prevalence of and the link of chronic illnesses (CIs) to informal caregivers of persons with dementia (PWDs), as well as to identify characteristics of caregivers with CIs. Methods: The sample included 124 caregivers of PWDs from a caregiver programme of research. Sociodemographic information and caregivers CIs were collected by an in-person interview. Descriptive statistics, t-tests, chi-square analysis and binary logistic regressions were performed for data analysis.Results: Approximately 81.5% (n = 101) of caregivers reported having at least one CI, 60.5% (n = 75) reported two or more CIs. Caregivers with CIs were more likely to be older and unemployed; advanced age and female gender were risk factors for CIs. The link of CIs to caregivers was stronger in younger caregivers but weaker in older caregivers when compared with the general population. Conclusion: targeted interventions based on this study need to be developed to improve the health of caregivers of PWDs.© The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Geriatrics Society. All rights reserved.