Can domestic helpers moderate distress of offspring caregivers of cognitively impaired older adults?

ABSTRACT

Objective: This study examined the moderating effect of domestic helpers on distress of offspring caring for parents with cognitive impairments and with or without behavioural problems.

Method: This secondary analysis of data involved 5086 Hong Kong Chinese adults aged 60 or older applying for public long-term care services from 2010 to 2012. All variables were measured using the mandatory Hong Kong version of the Minimum Data Set-Home Care 2.0.

Results: Regarding taking care of parents with cognitive impairments, 10.7% of offspring primary caregivers were aided by domestic helpers, 55.54% reported distress, and 75.70% lived with their parents. Assistance from domestic helpers reduced offspring caregiver distress if the offspring provided psychological support to parents (ratio of OR = 0.655, p < .05) and were not living with parents (ratio of OR = 1.183, p < .01).

Conclusion: These findings might suggest: a) the positive effects of audience on psychological responses to stress; b) caregiving is usually less stressful for informal caregivers not residing with care recipients. Conversely, having a domestic helper could add to caregiving distress if offspring caregivers live with their parents, most likely because offspring may witness difficulties that domestic helpers face in providing dementia care.

KEYWORDS:

• Caregiver distress
• dementia
• domestic helpers
• offspring caregivers

Disclosure Statement

The authors received no benefit, financial or otherwise, from the direct application of this research.