scholarly journals A Pilot Study of the Effects of Formal Service on Japanese Family Caregivers’ Daily Fluctuation of Stress

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 355-356
Author(s):  
Koji Abe

Abstract Purpose: Recent studies report daily fluctuations in stress among family caregivers of older individuals with dementia. Several studies focused on daily stressors or behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia and use of adult day services. Most previous studies on daily fluctuations of caregivers’ stress have used a daily diary approach. This approach involves creating multiple daily reports, making it possible to examine between-person differences and within-person processes of change. However, only few studies used this approach for family caregivers in Asian countries. Therefore, this study examines the applicability of a daily diary approach for Japanese family caregivers and the effects of formal care services on their stress and depression. Methods: Participants were 13 family caregivers of individuals with dementia using formal care services in a rural area in Japan. They were assessed through self-administered questionnaires including use or nonuse of formal care services, caregiving stressors (DASC-8), depressive symptoms (K-6), and caregiving stress for 7 days. Generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) with data nested within persons were used to examine the effects of formal services on stress and depression. Results: For the GLMM procedure, this study used caregiving stressors and stress variables as fixed effects and participants as random effects. Results indicated that use of formal services significantly lowered caregivers’ stress and depression. Conclusion: The findings demonstrate the applicability of a daily diary approach and the effectiveness of formal services on the stress of Japanese family caregivers.

Author(s):  
Hye-Eun Lee ◽  
Nam-Hee Kim ◽  
Tae-Won Jang ◽  
Ichiro Kawachi

This study investigates whether workers with long working hours as well as shift workers perceive higher unmet dental care needs, and whether there is a gender difference in the associations. We used the Korea Health Panel (2009, 2011–2014) involving 20,451 person-wave observations from 5567 individuals. Perceived unmet dental care needs was defined when the participants reported that they perceived a need for dental treatment or check-up but had failed to receive dental care services during the past year. Fixed effects logit models were applied to examine how changes in weekly working hours or shift work status were linked to changes in perceived unmet dental needs within each individual. Among participants, 15.9–24.7% reported perceived unmet dental needs and the most common reason was time scarcity. We found that long working hours (>52 h/week) was significantly associated with perceived unmet dental needs due to time scarcity in both men (OR = 1.42, 95% CI 1.13–1.78) and women (OR = 1.35, 95% CI 1.03–1.79) compared workers working 40–52 h per week. Shift work was also a significant risk factor, but only in women (OR = 1.57, 95% CI 1.06–2.32). These findings provide evidence for labor policies to reduce working hours in order to improve access to dental care services.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 508-508
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Kahana ◽  
Lawrence Force ◽  
Roger Monthie

Abstract Parents who care for their children (young and adult) with developmental disabilities face many stressors and challenges. This paper reports on an intervention using mindfulness and cognitive reframing to improve psychological well-being of care-givers. We report on results based on 92 care-givers who participated in the program. An innovative component was utilizing parent care-givers along with trained peer facilitators. The program was conducted over six weeks, with three in person sessions, and three at home web-based sessions. The content emphasized mindfulness practice (meditation) along with cognitive reframing (aimed at boosting optimism) to address the stress family-caregivers experience in managing worry and the perceived lack of control that accompanies caring for children (young and adult) with developmental disabilities. Post-test data revealed increased awareness of stress coupled with greater competence in stress management. Given the life-long demands for care-giving of parents to the developmentally disabled, normative stressors of aging interact with stressors posed by care-giving demands. Implications for improving well-being of older parental care-givers will be discussed around the topics of (1) optimism and hope; (2) support of healthy behaviors; and (3) development of a mindset of gratitude.


2020 ◽  
pp. 073346482097924
Author(s):  
Molly A. Mather ◽  
Holly B. Laws ◽  
Jasmine S. Dixon ◽  
Rebecca E. Ready ◽  
Anna M. Akerstedt

Poor sleep in persons with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a common stressor for family caregivers. Retrospective reports support associations between sleep disturbance in persons with AD and worse caregiver mood; however, prospective associations between sleep in persons with AD and caregiver outcomes have not been studied. The current study determined associations between affect and sleep of persons with AD and their caregivers using daily diary data. Multilevel mediation models indicated that sleep in persons with AD is linked to caregiver affect; furthermore, these associations are mediated by sleep characteristics in caregivers and affect in persons with AD. Daily fluctuations in sleep behaviors in persons with AD—rather than average values—were most strongly associated with caregiver outcomes. Interventions to improve sleep in persons with AD may decrease their negative affect and improve caregiver mood.


2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 638-639
Author(s):  
Karen Roberto ◽  
Jyoti Savla ◽  
Steven Zarit

Abstract The daily lives of family caregivers of persons with dementia (PwD) often require that they manage multiple competing demands in a context of unpredictability. Memory and behavior changes associated with dementia can cause PwD to act in random and irrational ways that create stress and influence all aspects of caregivers’ everyday life. Supportive others, including informal helpers and formal service professionals, should provide relief to primary caregivers; however, help may not alleviate caregiver stress and can sometimes compound the burden of care. This symposium draws on daily diary surveys and face-to-face interviews to focus on four aspects of managing everyday care of PwD among family caregivers in rural areas. Brandy Renee McCann explores how caregivers’ vigilance on behalf of PwD care quality interacts with service use. Karen Roberto examines the ways in which caregivers manage PwD resistance to help, including their use of forceful care strategies. Rosemary Blieszner focuses on competing caregiver roles and demands that may contribute to or alleviate caregiver stress. Tina Savla addresses the unexpected, and often hidden, challenges involved in using formal services. Collectively, the four presentations provide in-depth insight into the complicated daily lives of families coping with dementia and the ways in which they meet the demands of full-time caregiving under often difficult and challenging circumstances. Discussant Steve Zarit considers the efficacy of these management strategies for various aspects of everyday care and offers suggestions for future research and person-centered programs and interventions to reduce health disparities among caregivers in rural areas.


1995 ◽  
Vol 20 (2) ◽  
pp. 10-13
Author(s):  
Graeme Vaughan

The extent to which the child care needs of parents in paid employment are adequately met is an important matter. This paper examines the issue using data published in the recent report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Australia's Welfare 1993: Services and Assistance. Data from recent surveys by the Australian Bureau of Statistics are used to supplement the report's findings.While families with both parents or the sole parent in paid employment are the major users of formal child care services many of them continue to experience difficulties in obtaining child care that meets their needs. Many of these families need to arrange their domestic and working lives to care for children within the family or rely on informal support by other family members, friends and neighbours. Many adopt a mix of strategies-formal services, informal support and flexible work arrangements-to meet their child care needs. These families show a high level of unmet demand for formal services; mothers in these families experience difficulties in balancing the competing demands of caring for children and paid employment.


2013 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 223-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
Genevieve N. Thompson ◽  
Kerstin Roger

AbstractObjectives:A challenge in understanding the needs of dementia family caregivers (DFC) within the purview of dementia as a terminal illness rests on the fact that literature in this area is dispersed across disciplines and not specifically grounded within the realm of palliative care. The objective of this paper is to describe the domains of DFC needs and their impact on the delivery of palliative care services.Methods:A literature search pertaining to dementia family caregivers and palliative/end-of-life care was conducted using the databases Medline, CINHAL, Ageline, PsychInfo, and Scopus for articles published in the English language between 1997 and 2011.Results:Supporting family caregivers of individuals with dementia throughout the disease trajectory requires consideration of caregivers : (1) physical, emotional, and psychological needs; (2) information and decisional support needs; and (3) instrumental support needs. The unique nature and prolonged duration of these needs directly influences the palliative care services and supports required by these family caregivers.Significance of results:Understanding the scope of DFC needs help further our understanding of how these needs may impact the delivery of palliative care services, and assists in developing a model of care for those dying from dementia and for their family caregivers.


2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 179-183
Author(s):  
Saria Tasnim ◽  
FH Anamul Hoque ◽  
Summyia Nazmeen

Women’s health is a global concern now a days. Studies on issues relating to menopause is lacking Bangladesh and those been conducted mainly focus on physical and psychological symptoms around the time of menopause. This cross sectional study was done to explore the sociomedical context and nutritional characteristics of a group of women approaching menopause A total 106 women aged 45-60 years attending Gynae outpatient department of a tertiary hospital between March- May, 2013 was interviewed using structured questionnaire after obtaining informed written consent. Height and weight was measured using standardized procedure. Data analysed using SPSS. Mean age was 50.3± 5.3 years, about 75.5% were between 45-50 years, 85.1% had more than 2 children and 72.6% had history of Abortion. Mean age at menopause 44.65 ± 6.4 years, range 32-58 yrs. Mean BMI was 25± 4.2 and 43.4% were overweight or Obese. Chronic illness like hypertension and arthritis was present in (15.09%) and diabetes mellitus in 10.3% . The family relationship with children was good in 78.09%, husband was reported caring in 72.3% and 2.8% receive abusive behavior from husband. Only 8.5% were self earning, 24.5% and & 17.9% were dependent on children and husband respectively. With increasing life expectancy and improvements of health care services there is greater chance of survival for a women beyond menopause. Sociocultural and medical characteristics of midlife women is important to explore their specific health needs. Ensuring quality of life for this special group of women will help to better utilize their potential for development of the country.J Bangladesh Coll Phys Surg 2017; 35(4): 179-183


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