Scientific Reports (Nov 2022)

Carer distress among community living older adults with complex needs in the pre- and post-COVID-19 era: a national population study

  • Philip J. Schluter,
  • Rebecca Abey-Nesbit,
  • Annabel Ahuriri-Driscoll,
  • Hans Ulrich Bergler,
  • Jacqueline C. Broadbent,
  • Michaela Glanville,
  • Sally Keeling,
  • Hamish A. Jamieson

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-24073-0
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 1
pp. 1 – 11

Abstract

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Abstract Carer distress is one important negative impact of caregiving and likely exacerbated by the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, yet little population-based epidemiological information exists. Using national data from repeated standardized comprehensive geriatric needs assessments, this study aims to: describe the pattern of caregiver distress among those providing informal care to community-living adults aged ≥ 65 years with complex needs in New Zealand over time; estimate the COVID-19 effect on this temporal pattern; and, investigate relationships between participants’ sociodemographic and selected health measures on caregiver distress. Fractional polynomial regression and multivariable multilevel mixed-effects models were employed. Overall, 231,277 assessments from 144,358 participants were analysed. At first assessment, average age was 82.0 years (range 65–107 years), and 85,676 (59.4%) were female. Carer distress prevalence increased from 35.1% on 5 July 2012 to a peak of 48.5% on 21 March 2020, when the New Zealand Government announced a national lock-down. However, the population attributional fraction associated with the COVID-19 period was small, estimated at 0.56% (95% CI 0.35%, 0.77%). Carer distress is common and has rapidly increased in recent years. While significant, the COVID-19 impact has been relatively small. Policies and services providing efficacious on-going strategies to support caregivers deserves specific attention.