Care-Related Quality of Life of Informal Caregivers After Geriatric Rehabilitation

Abstract

Objectives: To describe care-related quality of life (CarerQoL) of informal caregivers after geriatric rehabilitation (GR) and identify associated determinants.

Design: A cross-sectional analysis within a prospective longitudinal follow-up study.

Setting: Evaluations at 4 weeks after finishing GR in 16 skilled nursing facilities.

Participants: Included were 350 informal caregivers (66.2% female, age 63 years; standard deviation [SD], 13.3) and their care recipients (63.4% female, age 78 years; interquartile range [IQR], 69-84 years).

Measurements: CarerQoL was measured with the CarerQoL-7D. This instrument describes caregiver burden in seven dimensions (ie, fulfillment, relational, mental, social, financial, perceived support, and physical). Informal caregivers were divided into low and high CarerQoL groups, based on the median CarerQoL-7D summary score (83.9 [IQR, 74.4-91.7]). Potential associated determinants were collected, including demographic variables of informal caregivers and care recipients, self-rated health and burden of informal caregivers, functioning, and cognition and depression of care recipients. Univariate logistic regression was performed for each determinant. For the multivariate regression model, a backward procedure was used, which included age, gender, and variables with P < .10.

Results: Multivariate analysis showed that fair or poor health (odds ratio [OR], 1.32; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.14-1.54), a higher self-rated burden (OR, 2.68 [95% CI, 1.23-5.85]), being happier if one could hand over all care tasks to another self-chosen person (OR, 1.33 [95% CI, 1.15-1.53]), and severely impaired cognitive performance level of the care recipient (OR, 2.52 [95% CI, 1.21-5.25]) were independently associated with having a lower CarerQoL-7D summary score (beneath the median). Happiness (OR, 0.53 [95% CI, 0.40-0.70]) was independently associated with a higher CarerQoL-7D summary score.

Conclusion: CarerQoL after GR in a skilled nursing facility is predominantly and independently associated with caregiver's own health, happiness, self-rated burden, and a severely impaired cognitive performance level of the care recipient at admission to the GR unit.

Keywords: Care-related quality of life; CarerQoL; geriatric rehabilitation; informal care; skilled nursing facility.