Informal Caregiving to Chronically III Older Family Members: Caregivers' Experiences and Problems

ABSTRACTInformal caregiving by close ones plays cardinal role in the health and life quality of chronically ill elderly people. Chronically ill older family members are largely dependent upon family caregiving to carry out everyday self-maintenance tasks identified as Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL). The present paper examines experiences and problems of informal caregivers in providing care to their older family members suffering from serious chronic ailments in urban Lahore, Pakistan. The data for the present paper draws from the survey on Management of Chronic Conditions and Healthy Ageing carried out in 2006. Informal caregiving to chronically ill family members varied by gender, age and relationship to care receiver. Younger and female caregivers, particularly daughters-in-law bore the burden of caregiving. Working caregivers experienced stress and financial strain more than non working ones. Family caregivers expressed the need for formal support and special health services for frail and disabled elderly people.KEY WORDS: Informal caregiving, Activities of Daily Living (ADL), Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL), Stress, Financial Strain, Functional Limitation.IntroductionInformal caregiving is the assistance provided by family members to their frail and disabled individuals in everyday self-maintenance activities such as bathing, dressing and getting around, as well as other activities such as shopping, preparing meals, and visiting physicians. These activities are classified as Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL). Although caregiving is mostly linked with ADL and IADL, it includes other aspects of life as well (Ekwall et al, 2004). Informal caregivers provide physical, emotional, and financial support to their frail and disabled elderly family members (Yaffe and Jacobs, 2008). Some family caregivers help their relative in managing finances; others assist in health care and provide emotional support to deal with illness. Informal caregiving can place a great deal of strain on family members, particularly the main care-givers (Taylor, 2003). In addition to the burden of caring, family members may face financial strain, reduced opportunities for recreation and social isolation. Lack of support from other family members may also have implications for both the caregivers and care recipients. This paper investigates major chronic conditions of the care receivers. In so doing, this paper explores differences in informal caregiving by age, gender and relationship to the care receiver with a focus upon the constraints and problems experienced by family caregivers.MethodsThe present study was based on the household survey conducted in September 2006 to accomplish the PhD research, "Management of Chronic Conditions as Predictor of Healthy Ageing: An Analysis of Urban Population, Lahore, Pakistan". The data were gathered by interviewing 921 respondents (483 males and 438 females) aged 50 years and above from the households of six survey sites (Babar Block, Scotch Corner, Rehman Pura, Mohallah Jalutiyan, Qalanda Pura and Babu Sabu) of City District Lahore. The major objective of the study was to ascertain self-reported prevalence of chronic conditions and their management with a focus upon healthy ageing in the study population. Data were gathered from family caregivers who provided care to their older family members impaired in their physical strengths and everyday self-maintenance competencies. The purpose was to ascertain information about the types of activities family caregivers helped their older family members across six neighborhoods in Lahore. In so doing, the present study aimed at examining the experiences and problems of family caregivers in providing the needed care to the chronically ill older family members.Major FindingsCharacteristics of Family Caregivers and Care RecipientsThis section deals with identifying the characteristics of family caregivers and the recipients of care. …