Factors Predicting Caregiver’s Readiness for Dependent Older Persons in Transition Period on Hospital to Home

Abstract

This research aimed to investigate the predictive factors on the caregiver’s readiness of dependent older persons. Meleis’s Transitional Theory was guided as the conceptual framework of this descriptive research. The purposive sample composed of 117 caregivers of dependent older persons who were family members and took the main responsibility of continually taking care of the patients. The instruments were the demographic questionnaire, the attitude of caregivers toward older persons caregiving, the knowledge of care, the social support, the role strain, and the caregiver’s readiness. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson’s correlation, and stepwise multiple regression. The findings revealed that caregivers of dependent older persons had a moderate level of readiness. The analysis of relationships between the attitude of caregivers toward older persons and the knowledge of care of caregivers were significantly positive correlated with caregiver’s readiness for dependent older persons at the level of 0.05 (r = .256, r= .348 respectively). The role strain as caregivers was significantly negative correlated with caregiver’s readiness for dependent older persons at the level of 0.05 (r = -.447). However, caregivers’ socioeconomic and the social support were not correlated with the readiness of caregivers of dependent older persons. Furthermore, the caregiver’s role strain and the attitude of caregivers toward older persons were significantly predictive factors for caregiver’s readiness of dependent older persons at the level of 0.05 (β = -.429, β = .220 respectively). These three variables could predict 24.8% of the variance of caregiver’s readiness. The findings suggest that the multidisciplinary team should provide support for the caregivers of dependent older persons for releasing their tensions as being a caregiver and other family members’ participation in taking care of dependent older persons should be encouraged, in order to the primary caregivers could have time to take care of themselves.