Challenges of caregiving to neurological patients

Abstract

A substantial number of neurological diseases lead to chronic impairment of activities of daily living (ADL) and physical or mental dependence. In Austria, homecare is provided mostly by female family members. Moreover, mainly female personnel, in the majority from southern and eastern European countries, contributes to care. Dependence and need for care vary between neurological diagnoses and accompanying diseases. Caregiver burden (CB) depends on patient- and caregiver-related and external factors, such as integrity of a family network, spatial resources, and socioeconomic factors. Depending on the neurological diagnosis, disease severity, and behavioral impairment and psychiatric symptoms, caregivers (CG) are at a significant risk of mental and somatic health problems because of limitations in personal needs, occupational and social obligations, financial burden, and restricted family life and leisure. Subjective and objective CB needs to be assessed in time and support should be provided on an individual basis. Recently, COVID-19 has caused additional multifactorial distress to dependent patients and informal and professional CG.