Burden of Care among Dementia Caregivers Attending a Tertiary Care Clinic in Oman

The term burden of care is defined as the subjective assessment of stress and anxiety which may result from the perception that external caregiving demands exceed available resources 2. The main domains of this burden are physical, emotional and financial burden. Several studies evidenced that caregivers are at increased risk of hypertension, dyslipidemia, and depression. Objective to determine the degree of burden of care among caregivers of people with dementia attending the Memory Clinic, Sultan Qaboos University Hospital, Oman Methods This is a cross-sectional study conducted in sultan Qaboos university hospital in the period from May 2014 to March 2015. All dementia caregivers accompanying their relative to the memory clinic at Sultan Qaboos University Hospital were invited to participate in this study. The diagnosis of dementia was based on DSM 5 criteria, and the severity was rated according to the Global Deterioration Scale for Assessment of Primary Degenerative Dementia and Clinical Dementia Rating. The level of dependency was measured using the Katz Index of Independence in Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) Scale. For the caregivers, Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) was used to determined the burden of care. Results 50 patients with dementia and their primary caregivers were included in the study.90 % of caregivers were adult children who are supported by other relatives. As quantified by ZBI, 70 % of caregivers demonstrated a high degree of burden. Factors such as patients age, duration, and severity of dementia, the level of dependency and female gender of the caregiver were associated with higher burden. Conclusion The burden is common among dementia caregivers and several factors interplay to influence the perceived stress. As increased burden was evidenced to be associated with higher incidence of mental disorders, screening, and early intervention will impact positively on the caregiver as well as the patient.