Introduction

Most of the long-term care for older adults with chronic or debilitating illnesses is provided by unpaid family members or informal caregivers. There is limited information on caregiver burden among caregivers of older patients with cancer in India. Hence, we assessed the prevalence and severity of caregiver burden among caregivers of older Indian patients with cancer.

Materials and Methods

This was an observational study conducted at the geriatric oncology clinic at Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai, India. Caregivers of patients aged 60 years and over with a diagnosis of cancer were assessed for caregiver burden using the Zarit Burden Interview. Descriptive statistics were used for demographic and clinical variables. Factors impacting caregiver burden were analyzed using multiple linear regression analysis.

Results

Caregiver burden was assessed among 127 caregivers of older Indian patients with cancer. The median patient age was 69 years (range 60–90). Most patients were men (75.6%). There were 33 female caregivers (26%), and 94 male caregivers (74%). The median caregiver burden score was 12 (IQR 6–20). Caregiver burden was “little/none” in 97 (76.4%), “mild-moderate” in 25 (19.7%), “moderate-severe” in four (3.1%) and “severe” in one (0.8%) of the caregivers assessed. On multivariate analysis, factors that significantly impacted caregiver burden scores were the presence of psychological issues in the patient and the caregiver's educational level.

Discussion

Caregiver burden was low among caregivers of older Indian patients with cancer seen at a single center. Caregivers of patients with psychological disorders, and those who had less schooling reported higher caregiver burden.

中文翻译：

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印度老年癌症患者的照顾者负担——来自三级医疗中心的经验

介绍

对患有慢性疾病或使人衰弱的老年人的大部分长期护理由无偿家庭成员或非正式护理人员提供。在印度老年癌症患者的护理人员中，关于护理人员负担的信息有限。因此，我们评估了印度老年癌症患者护理人员的护理人员负担的发生率和严重程度。

材料和方法

这是在印度孟买塔塔纪念中心的老年肿瘤科诊所进行的一项观察性研究。使用 Zarit Burden 访谈评估了 60 岁及以上被诊断为癌症的患者的照顾者的照顾者负担。描述性统计用于人口统计学和临床​​变量。使用多元线性回归分析分析影响照顾者负担的因素。

结果

对 127 名印度老年癌症患者的护理人员进行了护理人员负担评估。患者的中位年龄为 69 岁（范围 60-90）。大多数患者是男性（75.6%）。有 33 名女性护理人员（26%）和 94 名男性护理人员（74%）。照顾者负担评分中位数为 12 (IQR 6-20)。97 人 (76.4%) 的照顾者负担为“小/无”，25 人 (19.7%) 为“轻度/中度”，4 人 (3.1%) 为“中度-重度”，1 人 (0.8%) 为“重度”护理人员评估。在多变量分析中，显着影响照顾者负担评分的因素是患者存在心理问题和照顾者的教育水平。

讨论

在单一中心就诊的印度老年癌症患者的护理人员中，护理人员负担较低。心理障碍患者和受教育程度较低的患者的照顾者报告了更高的照顾者负担。