Exploring the Burden: Mental and Physical Health Challenges Faced By Long-Term Caregivers
Start Date
April 2025
Location
3rd floor - Library
Abstract
Caregiving is a valuable and meaningful career that benefits the lives of many older adults in long-term care facilities. Formal caregiving, although rewarding and crucial in assisting older adults with activities of daily living (ADLs), can lead to significant deterioration of the quality of life of those in the caregiving role. The strenuous career may cause a multitude of negative consequences to both the mental and physical well-being of formal cargivers. Utilizing a self-administered questionnaire, this study aims to explore the impact of caregiving on quality of life. Findings will serve importance for Pro Seniors’s Long Term Care Ombudsman Program to inform the development of targeted support programs and provide insight into the need for interventions specific to enhancing the quality of life for caregivers. The self-reported questionnaire is made available to any formal caregiver/aide at Artis Senior Living, Twin Lakes, Traditions of West Chester, and Wickshire Assisted Living in Cincinnati, Ohio. The research incorporates validated instruments, including the GAD-7, Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale, and PHQ-9, Patient Health Questionaire 9-item scale, alongside physical health-related questions. By analyzing the responses, the study seeks to identify caregiver burden to provide greater insight into the mental and physical well-being of formal caregivers in RCFs, Residential Care Facilities, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Results will display the prominence of mental and physical burnout within this specific population.
Exploring the Burden: Mental and Physical Health Challenges Faced By Long-Term Caregivers
3rd floor - Library
Caregiving is a valuable and meaningful career that benefits the lives of many older adults in long-term care facilities. Formal caregiving, although rewarding and crucial in assisting older adults with activities of daily living (ADLs), can lead to significant deterioration of the quality of life of those in the caregiving role. The strenuous career may cause a multitude of negative consequences to both the mental and physical well-being of formal cargivers. Utilizing a self-administered questionnaire, this study aims to explore the impact of caregiving on quality of life. Findings will serve importance for Pro Seniors’s Long Term Care Ombudsman Program to inform the development of targeted support programs and provide insight into the need for interventions specific to enhancing the quality of life for caregivers. The self-reported questionnaire is made available to any formal caregiver/aide at Artis Senior Living, Twin Lakes, Traditions of West Chester, and Wickshire Assisted Living in Cincinnati, Ohio. The research incorporates validated instruments, including the GAD-7, Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale, and PHQ-9, Patient Health Questionaire 9-item scale, alongside physical health-related questions. By analyzing the responses, the study seeks to identify caregiver burden to provide greater insight into the mental and physical well-being of formal caregivers in RCFs, Residential Care Facilities, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Results will display the prominence of mental and physical burnout within this specific population.
