title: Family relationships of self-care-dependent older people and institutionalized rate to nursing homes.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The government recommends home care for self-care-dependent older people in order to suppress care expenditure. Family relationships between primary caregivers and self-care-dependent older people might be one of the factors influencing the institutionalized rate.
  
  
  METHODS
  We investigated family relationships between primary caregivers and self-care-dependent older people at home in the rural town of Oodate, Akita Prefecture, and the urban district of Katsushika, Tokyo, in 2003. One thousand and thirty-six primary caregivers completed the questionnaire and entered the present study. Two years later, we prospectively followed how the family relationship between them influenced the institutionalized rate in 2005. Finally, 556 primary caregivers completed the questionnaire in 2005.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The institutionalized rate of subjects with poor family relationships (31%) was significantly higher than that of subjects with good family relationships (12%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Good or poor family relationships were significantly related to psychological strains and might determine the institutionalized rate in nursing homes.
authors.affiliation: Akita Nursing and Welfare University, Oodate, Akita, Japan. h-kodama@well.ac.jp
authors.forename: Hiroko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kodama
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Izumo
authors.forename: Ryutaro
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Suda
authors.forename: Hisashi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kudo
authors.forename: Hideaki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kudo
authors.forename: Masao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miyamoto
authors.forename: Hidetada
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sasaki
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009735:Nursing Homes; D012423:Rural Health; D014041:Tokyo