Investigating the effect of the 5A self-management care model on the caregiver's burden in the aged with peptic...

As individuals age, the functionality of internal organs declines. Gastrointestinal disorders are prevalent in elderlies and significantly impact their caregivers. Hence, this research examined the impact of the 5A self-management care model on the caregiver's care burden in aged with peptic ulcers.

In 2024 in Ilam (Iran), a double-blind randomized controlled trial was done on seventy informal elderly caregivers who were randomly divided into control and intervention groups with permuted blocks. The participants in the intervention group received eight weeks of the 5A care model, but the control group just implemented routine care. The Zarit Burden Index was completed before and two weeks after the end of the intervention. Statistical tests included the Chi-square, paired t, and, independent t in the level of significance considered less than 0.05 and analyzed in SPSS V.16.

The mean and standard deviation of the age of the caregivers who finished the study were 42.11 ± 5.37. The mean and standard deviation score of the caregiver's care burden improved in the intervention group but decayed in the control group (P = 0.011). Before the intervention, no significant difference was observed between both groups in the caregiver's scores; However, there was a significant difference two weeks after the end of the intervention (P = 0.028).

Implementing the 5A self-management care model reduces the burden of care for the caregivers of elderly people with peptic ulcers. So, this care model minimizes the pressure on the caregiver in social, personal, emotional, and economic dimensions.