Exploring Musculoskeletal Injuries Among Informal and Formal Carers of People With Dementia

Abstract

Background: Carers of people with dementia manually handle the care recipients (eg, repetitive lifting, transferring, and pulling) as part of the care service, increasing the musculoskeletal injury risk to themselves. Objective: We aimed to determine the prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries among informal and formal carers of people with dementia and the perceived associated risk factors. Methods: Primary carers of people with dementia (26 males and 141 females) from Dementia Care Centers and Home Care programs completed a questionnaire providing information about (a) the carers’ and their care recipients’ characteristics, (b) musculoskeletal symptoms (via the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire) and related aspects, and (c) the caregiving activities exposing the carers to risk of musculoskeletal injury. Results: Our results showed that 69.7% of informal and 86.7% of formal carers reported having more than 1 musculoskeletal injury, while 63.1% and 61.5%, respectively, reported having a musculoskeletal injury in the last year. Lower back had the highest injury prevalence (>10% for both groups). The 2 carer groups were not different in any of the variables. Conclusions: Our results reinforce calls for education and support of carers, regardless of their formal status, to enable injury-free and prolonged service provision.