[A study of family support, health state and medical care among functionally dependent elderly in Shanghai, China].
The effect of family caregiver's attitudes to elderly on health conditions of functionally dependent elderly, relationships between family support and perceived burden among family caregivers, and factors related to family support were analyzed. Support in this study was defined as help directed at helping functionally dependent elderly achieve independence or self-care. In 1989, a survey was conducted of family caregivers in Shanghai. Functionally dependent elderly were collected by screening of people aged 65 years old and over, and family caregivers who were able to provide support as defined above were included as subjects (n = 468). The following results were obtained: 1. Caregivers with positive attitudes for support had a higher proportion having the ability to obtain physician care compared to those with low family support. The proportion of persons with bedfast condition, cognitive impairment, and abnormal behaviors did not appear to have a relationships to level of family support. 2. There was only a weak relation between family support and perceived burden scale of caregivers. 3. Among all factors, the strongest relationship to family support was with educational background. The health of caregivers and the family relationship between caregivers and functionally dependent elderly were also related to level of family support.
Sugisawa
H
H
Department of Health Sociology, Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology.
Nakatani
Y
Y
Shimizu
Y
Y
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017028:Caregivers; D002681:China; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D016330:Frail Elderly; D006299:Health Services for the Aged; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male