Abstract
Purpose
Long-term elderly care of the elderly (Jap. “Ro-ro Kaigo”) is a serious problem in Japan. The purpose of this study is to reveal the current state of Ro-ro Kaigo and to evaluate the factors affecting the burden on elderly caregivers.
Method
Ninety-three households of elderly subjects participated in this study. We conducted semi-structured interviews concerning the life styles of caregivers, the burden on caregivers and the condition of elderly subjects requiring long-term care.
Results
Eighty percent or more of the caregivers were spouses, and about 40 percent of the households were not supported by family members living separately.
Moreover, the burden of care borne by the caregivers was correlated with "hours spent daily providing care", "ADL of elderly requiring long-term care" (p<0.001), "hours of sleep" (p<0.01), "subjective feeling of wellbeing", "support from family living separately", and "behavioral disorders of dementia" (p<0.05).
Conclusion
These data suggest that supporting "health promotion", "reduction of hours of caregiving", "reduction of amount of assistance with toilet activity of care recipients", and "securing enough hours of sleep" were important for maintaining home care in Ro-ro kaigo.
