Informal caregivers caring for a frail older person living at home: coping with acute and gradual changes in health and dependency.

Title Informal caregivers caring for a frail older person living at home: coping with acute and gradual changes in health and dependency.BackgroundIn the near future, the ageing of the population will have a major impact on the demand for formal and informal long-term care services. Informal care is mainly provided by relatives, especially spouses and children. In Belgium, almost 10% of persons aged 15 years or over provide informal care. Yet, they are often 'invisible'. They don't seek help quickly, not even when they tend to get overburdened themselves.AimIn this study we want to explore the experience of caring for a frail older person who lives at home. We are especially interested in how informal caregivers cope with acute and gradual changes in health or dependency of the older person. Research questions- How do informal caregivers experience caring for a frail older person living at home and does this experience change over time?- How do they cope with acute and gradual changes in dependency, physical and mental health of the frail older person?- What is the impact of these acute and gradual changes on the physical, mental and social health of the informal caregiverMethodologyWe plan to do a longitudinal case study research. A purposive sample of approximately 10 informal caregivers of frail elderly will be recruited. In this qualitative research project we prefer to work with a small sample of people to study their experiences in-depth and longitudinal. At baseline and after 6 and 12 months we will perform interviews and assessments with the caregivers in their homes. In between, we will perform monthly semi-structured telephone interviews with the caregivers.

Keywords:FRAIL ELDERLY, QUALITATIVE RESEARCH, CAREGIVERS

Disciplines:Gerontology and geriatrics, Public health care, Public health sciences, Public health services, Nursing