Impact of Caregiving Role in the Quality of Life of Family Caregivers for Persons with Alzheimer's

104 Pages·2015·1.9 MB·English

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Supriya Sarkar
Minnesota State University - Mankato
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Sarkar, S. (2015). Impact of Caregiving Role in the Quality of Life of Family Caregivers for Persons with
Alzheimer's Disease [Master’s thesis, Minnesota State University, Mankato]. Cornerstone: A Collection of
Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State University, Mankato. https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/
etds/395/
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Impact of Caregiving Role in the Quality of Life of Family Caregivers for Persons with
Alzheimer’s Disease

By
Supriya Sarkar

A Thesis Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements
for the Degree of Master of Science in Gerontology

Minnesota State University, Mankato

Mankato, Minnesota

May, 2015
© Supriya Sarkar 2015
Date: _________________

Impact of Caregiving Role in the Quality of Life of Family Caregivers for persons with
Alzheimer’s Disease

(Supriya Sarkar)

This thesis has been examined and approved by the following members of the committee.

________________________________
Dr. Donald J. Ebel, PhD
Advisor

________________________________
Dr. Judith K. Luebke, PhD

________________________________
Dr. Mark Windschitl, PhD
i
Acknowledgments

My humble gratitude and heartfelt thanks goes to my honorable advisor, Dr.
Donald J. Ebel. His timely advice, guidance, appreciation and incredible support have
given me the encouragement to grow myself in the field of research and elderly
advocacy. I am thankful for his willingness to assist in the development, execution, and
writing of this research. Additionally, I would like to thank my committee members, Dr.
Judith K. Luebke and Dr. Mark Windschitl for their valuable feedback and support
throughout the study.
It has been a wonderful experience and great privilege to be a part of Minnesota
State University, Mankato. I will remain grateful to Gerontology Program, MSU,
Mankato for giving me the opportunity to pursue a career in the field of aging. I would
like to thank the faculty for their support. Special thanks to Dr. Leah Rogne for her
support, teaching, and guidance.
Special words of applause for my amazing husband, best friend, love of life and
soulmate Sanjay Sarkar. His positive attitude, calm nature and professionalism helped me
through some stressful times along the way, and allowed me to keep focused. Gracious
thanks goes to him for being there as a pillar and constantly encouraging me in every
good way throughout the study. You stand as a perfect role model. Thanks Sanjay for
being a positive source of energy and true blessings of God. You earn a special and
precious place in my life. I could not have completed the program without you!
ii
I will remain ever grateful to my ideal and lovely parents, Nirmal Ranjan Das and
Prova Das for bestowing their unconditional love, teachings and believing me. I have
learnt from them the true essence of humanity and service to society. They are epitome of
kindness, honesty, patience and perseverance. I am privileged to have such wonderful
parents. My sincere love, respect and thanks for them.
I wish to thank my in-laws, Biswa Ranjan Sarkar and Sumitra Sarkar for their
love, appreciation and belief in me. Their prayers and loving nature inspire me to be true
to my work and duties. Heartfelt thanks to my siblings, Subimal Das, Sukamal Das, and
Sumita Sarkar for loving and trusting me. I also wish to thank all my well-wishers for
their wishes, encouragement and support. I feel truly blessed to have such a great family.
Special appreciation to David and Susan Mowen for always being there and
praying for our well-being. You are family to us and indeed, a true friend in need.
I would also like to thank all the facilities and family caregivers who participated
in this research study. Without their willingness to become involved, this project would
not have been possible.
I wish to mention ECRA and its contribution for changing my vision in life. It has
imparted in me the need of respect, love, life with dignity, and advocacy for elderly
people. It has shown me a different facet of society and motivated to work for the
betterment of the elderly people. Special thanks to ECRA!
Most importantly I am obliged to my Lord and Guru, without whose blessings I
would not have completed this project. Thank you Lord for everything!
iii
Dedication

This dissertation is dedicated to the Almighty God, my Guru, family, teachers, friends
and well- wishers. Gratitude and love for the Almighty God and Guru for giving this
beautiful life and always being the source of sustenance. My husband Sanjay, whose
presence in my life is a true blessing. Your support means a lot. You have been very
special. Earnest feeling of gratitude to my loving parents Nirmal R. Das and Prova Das,
whose unconditional love, encouraging words and inculcating the essence of honesty,
kindness and hard work keeps me motivating. My in-laws Biswa R. Sarkar and Sumitra
Sarkar, for their love, prayers and belief in me. My teachers, friends and well-wishers
who cheered and motivated me throughout this journey. I will always appreciate
everyone for they have done throughout the program that influenced my life positively.
iv
Abstract

Impact of Caregiving Role in the Quality of Life of Family Caregivers for persons with
Alzheimer’s Disease
Supriya Sarkar, MS in Gerontology, Minnesota State University, Mankato, MN. 2015.

This study investigated quality of life of family caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s
disease (AD). Caregiving is a strenuous and challenging job. Family caregivers
experience poor quality of life after they take the role of caregiving which might be
related to depression. Purpose of this study was to find if caregiving duration and
depression has any role in affecting family caregivers’ emotional, physical, and general
health.

Data for this study were collected through electronic and mailed survey methods. The
questionnaires completed by subjects: Medical Outcomes Study Short Form 36 (MOS-
36) and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Descriptive
statistics including mean, standard deviation, minimum and maximum values were
calculated on demographics. Correlation statistics were calculated for emotional health,
physical health, general health, depression and caregiving duration in the target
population to find if there is presence or absence of any significant relationship that
affects quality of life of family caregivers of persons with AD.
v
Data were collected in Minnesota through Alzheimer’s Association Minnesota-North
Dakota Chapter, Lyngblomsten Care Center, St. Paul, MN, Lyngblomsten Home and
Community Based Services, St. Paul, MN and Ecumen Seasons at Apple Valley, MN.
The agencies were contacted in-person for recruitment of subjects. Total of 207 family
caregivers responded where 25 were males and 182 females. Statistical analyses were
computed which resulted in four statistically significant findings: emotional and physical
health was significantly related to each other; emotional and physical health was
significantly related to depression; general health was significantly related to depression;
and caregiving duration was significantly related to depression. Study presented new
information on family caregivers’ quality of life. The conclusion drawn from the current
study may help future researchers to investigate improvement in quality of life of family
caregivers with AD. It is hoped that the data will help health professionals and support
groups to plan and develop better programs to improve quality of life of family caregivers
for persons with Alzheimer’s disease.
vi
TABLE OF CONTENTS

LIST OF TABLES viii

LIST OF FIGURES ix

Chapter I: INTRODUCTION 1-7

Introduction 1
Statement of the problem 1
Purpose of the study 3
Significance of the problem 3
Research question 4
Definitions 5

Chapter II: LITERATURE REVIEW 8-28

Epidemiology of Alzheimer's disease 8
Family caregivers for AD patients 9
Roles and responsibilities of family caregivers for AD patients 11
Quality of life of family caregivers of persons with AD 13
Caregiver emotional health 16
Caregiver physical health 18
Caregiver general health 20
Caregiver depression 20
Relationship between family caregivers and care recipients with 22
AD
Strategies to improve quality of life of family caregivers 23
Summary 27

Chapter III: METHODOLOGY 29-36

Introduction 29
Research question 29
Aims and hypotheses 29
Research design 30
Subject selection 31
Data collection 32
Instrumentation 33
Data processing and analyses 35