Care Burden and Influencing Factors of Elderly Patients Receiving Home Health Care: Perspectives of Patients and Caregivers

INTRODUCTION: The aim of the study was to determine the care burden and influencing factors of patients receiving home health care.
METHODS: The study was cross-sectional descriptive and was conducted with patients who benefited from a tertiary hospital's home health care unit. A 25-question demographic data questionnaire was prepared by the researchers by scanning the literature, and the BARTHEL daily living activities index was applied to the patients.
RESULTS: A total of 416 people participated in the study, 34.86% (n=145) of whom were male, and 65.14% (n=271) were female. According to the Barthel daily living activities index, 43.75% (n=182) of the patients were entirely dependent, 38.46% (n=160) were severely dependent, and their average score was 34.14±29.27. No significant relationship was found between the gender of the caregiver, closeness with the patient, education level of the patient and the perceived burden of care. On the other hand, a significant relationship was found between the education level of the caregiver, the profession, the dependency degree of the patient, and the perceived burden of care (p=0.001, p=0.031, and p<0.001, respectively).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: To reduce the care burden of caregivers, it is necessary to increase the quality and accessibility of home healthcare services, provide education and support for patients and caregivers, and take measures to maintain and improve patients' independence.