Hiyoshi-Taniguchi, Becker, and Kinoshita researched the relationship between behavioral and psychological symptoms of Dementia with the level of burnout among home caregivers. Home caregivers caring for rural and urban elders with symptoms of dementia were included in the study. Scholarly articles and peer-reviewed medical journal articles were analyzed in the course of the research. The researchers used the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Caregiver Distress Scale (NPI-D) to assess distress levels among demented patients.
The researchers noted that a rise Japanese elderly population has led to a significant increase in dementia patients. Data was collected using questionnaires. The correlation between the symptoms of dementia with the level of distress and burnout among caregivers was documented. Caregivers in the study filled information about their experiences while caring for elderly families who have dementia (Hiyoshi-Taniguchi, Becker, & Kinoshita, 2018). Two hundred seventy-eight caregivers returned the completed questionnaires. However, only 80 cases of patients who had been diagnosed with dementia were analyzed (Hiyoshi-Taniguchi, Becker, & Kinoshita, 2018).
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The strength of the study was in using the NPI-D scale. The scale contains a total of 10 behavioral symptoms domains, thus useful to assess various types of behavioral symptoms and distress levels presented by dementia patients. Caregivers were asked to identify the symptoms exhibited by their patients and rate their severity on a scale of 3 (Hiyoshi-Taniguchi, Becker, & Kinoshita, 2018). Scale 1- slight, scale 2-moderate, and scale 3-severe. Pine’s Burnout index was then used to compare the symptoms exhibited by patients and the caregivers’ perceived distress. The correlation analysis of the data obtained was done using SPSS for windows.
The study found out symptoms of dementia statistically correlate with caregiver distress and burnout. However, symptoms like depression were found to contribute less to caregiver burnout. The research findings also show that patients’ apathy is less distressing compared to other symptoms like hallucinations and agitation (Hiyoshi-Taniguchi, Becker, & Kinoshita, 2018).
The fact that only 80 participants out of 278 responded to having completed diagnoses for dementia is the first limitation of the study. The small number of respondents, therefore, translates that some non-responders were yet to present their charges for diagnoses. Moreover, NPI-D fails to evaluate the impact of patients’ symptoms with the level of burnout experienced by home caregivers (Hiyoshi-Taniguchi, Becker, & Kinoshita, 2018).
Reference
Hiyoshi-Taniguchi, K., Becker, C. B., & Kinoshita, A. (2018). What behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia affect caregiver burnout?. Clinical gerontologist , 41 (3), 249-254.
