The Effects on the Primary Caregivers after the Community Health Aides Assist Them do Home-Based Physical Therapy Program for Spinal Cord Injuries Patients

Abstract

Paralysis resulting from spinal cord injuries (SCI) is common. The effects of SCI are detrimental not only onto the patient but also to the family, especially the primary caregiver. The purposes of this study were to investigate the effects of SCI on the main caregiver’s quality of life and stress after the chronic SCI patients received home based physical therapy program by the main caregivers and the community health aides. This study was conducted in 9 main caregivers who look after their patients in Muang District, Phitsanulok Province. The main caregiver’s quality of life and stress were assessed by World Health Organization Quality of Life BREF-THAI (WHOQOL BREF-THAI) and followed by Suanprung Stress Test (SPST) at baseline and after a 4-week rehabilitation program. This program, the physical therapist instructed the rehabilitation program to the main caregivers and the community health aides for rehabilitating their patient at least 60 minutes/day, 3 days/week for 4 weeks. Wilcoxon Signed Ranks test was used for comparing the median of score of all variables between before and after the program. After the program, the main caregiver had significantly increased quality of life and decreased stress (P = 0.04 and P = 0.01, respectively). Thus, this program can improved quality of life and decreased stress of the main caregivers of SCI patients.