The Impact of Performing Medical/Nursing Tasks at Home Among Caregivers of Individuals With Cognitive Impairment

Abstract

Caregiving for older adults with cognitive impairment can be more difficult as caregivers are required to perform medical/nursing tasks at home. Little is known about medical/nursing tasks and their relationship to caregivers’ characteristics and their effects on caregiver burden. Secondary data analyses were conducted with 423 caregivers of individuals with cognitive impairment from the 2015 National Alliance for Caregiving (NAC) and American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) data. In terms of the caregiving context, caregivers who performed medical/nursing tasks lived with the care recipients and provided longer hours of care than caregivers who did not perform medical/nursing tasks. When caregivers delivered medical/nursing tasks, they were 2 times more likely to experience higher levels of caregiver burden. Medical/nursing tasks can exacerbate caregiver burden. Health care providers’ explanations of the needs and the benefits of performing medical/nursing tasks, as well as education and training for the tasks, are needed to reduce caregiver burden.