Article contents
Predictive factors of hospitalization related to the caregiver burden in older adults presenting to the emergency department
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 March 2020
Abstract
Long-term care for the elderly by their family members represents a serious burden in Italy. The physical and psychological health of informal caregivers is a growing public health issue. Old patients often seek urgent medical attention in the Emergency Department (ED) and hospitalisation is frequent event among the elderly.
Aim of the study was (1) to investigate the burden of care among the caregivers of old patients; (2) to examine the influence of the burden experienced by the caregivers on ED and hospital admissions of the elderly.
We conducted a descriptive study of patients aged 75 years or older and their caregiver admitted to the ED from 10/1/15 to 6/10/15 (77 patient-caregiver pairs). The caregivers were evaluated using the Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI). A case manager collected the patient's data.
CBI score is the highest among patients seeking ED evaluation due to caregiver's concern. The majority of the elderly admitted to the ED whose caregiver shows elevated emotional burden at the CBI do not present with serious or urgent medical condition and are not hospitalised. Emotional burden is the highest among the caregivers of demented subjects who share the same house.
Our findings indicate that the burden experienced by caregiving family members plays a role in elderly people avoidable ED visits.
The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
- Type
- e-Poster walk: Old-age psychiatry
- Information
- European Psychiatry , Volume 41 , Issue S1: Abstract of the 25th European Congress of Psychiatry , April 2017 , pp. S174 - S175
- Copyright
- Copyright © European Psychiatric Association 2017
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