Family caregivers’ subjective experiences of satisfaction in dementia care: aspects of burden, subjective health and sense of coherence

TLDR

Family caregivers experience both positive and negative reactions, yet research has focused mainly on negative aspects, and they can simultaneously feel moderate burden and high satisfaction. The study aimed to evaluate a caregiver reward instrument and identify factors linked to satisfaction among family caregivers of home‑dwelling dementia patients. The study included 153 family caregivers who completed standardized interviews assessing dementia severity, caregiver burden, and satisfaction, followed by factorial analysis of the Caregiver's Assessment of Satisfactions Index to refine it for dementia contexts. The analysis revealed that caregiver burden and satisfaction can coexist, reflecting distinct aspects of the caregiving experience.

Abstract

Family caregivers experience both positive and negative reactions in caregiving situations. There has been considerably less published about the positive aspects, however. The general aim of this study was to explore a previously developed instrument to study rewards gained by caregivers and to determine the factors associated with satisfaction in family members caring for patients with dementia living at home. The study group consisted of 153 such family members. Standardized interview schedules exploring different background characteristics, and instruments for assessment of the degree of dementia in the patients and the caregivers’ total burden and degree of satisfaction were used. Factorial analysis of the Caregiver's Assessment of Satisfactions Index was performed and it became more specific for conditions of dementia when it was reduced. Stressors as measured by the Caregiver Burden scale and satisfaction can coexist and assess different aspects of the caregiver's situation. The caregiver can perceive both moderate burden and great satisfaction at the same time, and further studies may help to broaden our understanding of how we can reduce the degree of burden whilst increasing the sense of satisfaction.