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Costs of informal care in a sample of German geriatric stroke survivors.

ABSTRACT: Stroke is a leading cause of long-term disability. A large proportion of geriatric stroke survivors receive informal care. The assessment and monetary valuation of informal care should therefore constitute an essential part of any health economic analysis, but it is hardly measured in stroke caregiver studies. The aim of the current research was to estimate the amount of informal care provided by caregivers of stroke survivors aged 60 years and older and to calculate its economic value. Information about caregiving time in activities of daily living (ADL), instrumental activities of daily living (IADL), and supervision during the last 3 months was obtained from 122 caregivers by means of structured interviews. The proxy good method was applied for the monetary valuation of time. About 63 % of the stroke survivors in our sample were moderately cognitively impaired. The results showed that the majority of the main caregivers assisted in ADL and IADL. Supervision was delivered by 45.9 %. The median amount of help in ADL was 13.9, in IADL 22.2, and in supervision 13.9 h/week. The median overall amount of care was 42.8 h/week. Fifty percent were supported by additional persons (2.7 h/week). The mean overall costs of informal care were calculated at 2252 €/month. Our results reveal the high social and economic costs of informal care. The main burden of caregiving appears to be carried by the primary caregiver. Consequently, support and counseling of this group is important. Furthermore, caregiver interventions should be aimed at the mobilization of informal resources.

SUBMITTER: Albrecht D

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5549163 | biostudies-other | 2016 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Project description:BackgroundWeb-based interventions have shown promise for chronic disease management but have not been widely applied to populations with stroke. Existing barriers may inhibit the adoption of web-based interventions among stroke survivors and necessitate the involvement of informal caregivers. However, limited information is available on internet accessibility and usability among stroke survivors and their caregivers.ObjectiveThis study aims to investigate internet access and usage in a cohort of stroke survivors and their caregivers.MethodsA cross-sectional survey was conducted with 375 participants (248 stroke survivors and 127 caregivers). Descriptive statistics were generated using cross-tabulation. Comparisons with categorical data were conducted using the chi-square test, whereas the Mann-Whitney U test was used for comparisons involving ordinal variables.ResultsOverall, 86.1% (323/375) of the participants reported having internet access. Caregivers were more likely than stroke survivors to access the internet (N=375, χ21=18.5, P<.001) and used text messaging (n=321, χ21=14.7, P<.001). Stroke survivors and caregivers with internet access were younger than stroke survivors and caregivers without internet access. The highest number of participants who reported internet access were non-Hispanic White. Smartphones were the most common devices used to access the internet. Email was the most common type of internet usage reported. Patients who survived for >12 months after a stroke reported higher internet access than those who survived <3 months (P<.001). The number of hours per week spent using the internet was higher for caregivers than for stroke survivors (P<.001).ConclusionsFuture feasibility and acceptability studies should consider the role of the informal caregiver, participant age, race and ethnicity, the use of smartphone apps, email and text correspondence, and the amount of time elapsed since the stroke event in the design and implementation of web-based interventions for populations with stroke.

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Costs of informal care in a sample of German geriatric stroke survivors.

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