Family relationships of self-care-dependent older people and institutionalized rate to nursing homes.
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.
Kodama
Hiroko
H
Akita Nursing and Welfare University, Oodate, Akita, Japan. h-kodama@well.ac.jp
Izumo
Yuji
Y
Takahashi
Ryutaro
R
Suda
Yuko
Y
Kudo
Hisashi
H
Kudo
Hideaki
H
Miyamoto
Masao
M
Sasaki
Hidetada
H
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