Journal of Education and Health Promotion (Jan 2022)
Perceived factors contributing to the care provided by informal (family) and formal caregivers of older adults with noncommunicable diseases in rural communities: A qualitative focus group study
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Informal and formal caregivers of older adults with noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are important in every aspect of current caregiving for older adults by understanding reality specific to direct experiences perceived by each person in caring for older adults in order to develop nursing knowledge and using knowledge to plan care for older adults with NCDs to have a good quality of life. The current study aimed to investigate the points of view on factors concerning the care provided by informal and formal caregivers providing care for older adults with chronic diseases in the community. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was conducted with a qualitative design. The sample was 5 informal and 20 formal caregivers providing care for patients with chronic diseases, namely hypertension and diabetes mellitus. Furthermore, a qualitative approach was used with four focus groups (FGs) with 25 informants. Data were collected during March–August 2021 in rural communities of Nakhon Phanom Province, Thailand. Finally, the qualitative analysis used content analysis; FG data were analyzed using content analysis in which a preliminary set of codes was determined according to other documented experiences of patients. RESULTS: The findings revealed three main themes emerging in the data obtained on the perceived factors contributing to the care provided by informal and formal caregivers: “caregivers' knowledge,” “factors related to caregivers” and “community factors.” CONCLUSION: Points of view on the factors correlated with the care provided by informal and formal caregivers of older adults with chronic diseases that explain and confirm the findings can be used to plan care with effects on quality of life among older adults with chronic diseases.
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