[Burden on caregivers of residents of homes for the aged. An exploratory study]

In research on caregivers of the frail elderly most attention has until now been paid to the burden of caregivers of the demented elderly. However, several studies have shown that other groups of carers are also heavily burdened. The present study focused on the burden of 73 caregivers of the residents of two homes for the elderly. About one fourth of the caregivers felt heavily burdened. The mental health of the caregivers, measured with the General Health Questionnaire, could not be distinguished from the general population. Significant associations were found between the burden and the gender of the caregivers, the gender of the elderly person, the time spent on caring, the number of caring tasks, and the amount of support from others. Family caregivers seemed to have relatively little need for information and advice.