The effect of care burden of caregivers of Alzheimer's patients on their healthy lifestyle behaviours

Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disease that causes gradually increasing cognitive and functional deficits as well as behavioural changes. In advanced stages, patients need full-time care due to the cognitive loss. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of caregiving burdens on healthy lifestyle behaviors of individuals who takes care of the Alzheimer's patients who applied to the dementia clinic of a university hospital in Ankara. In addition, it was also investigated whether the care burden and healthy lifestyle behaviors of caregivers of Alzheimer's patients change according to the sociodemographic characteristics of caregivers and care recipients. In the study, "Caregiver Burden Inventory" developed by Novak and Guest (1989) and adapted into Turkish by Küçükgüçlü et al. (2009), and "Healthy Life Style Behaviour Scale II" developed by Walker et al. (1996) and adapted into Turkish by Bahar et al. (2008)." were used. The questionnaires were applied to 84 caregivers of Alzheimer's patients who applied to the dementia outpatient clinic between 18.06.2021 and 15.04.2022. Significance (t) test of the difference between two means, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), pearson correlation analysis (r) and regression analysis were used. It was determined that the caregivers aged 50-64 compared to aged 34-49, those living in the same house with the patient compared to those who do not live in the same house, those who work compared to those who are retired, those who live as 1-2 people compared to those who live ≥3 people have a higher caregiving burden than the latter. A negative and significant relationship (r=-0.396; p≤0,001) was found between Caregivers Burden and Healthy Lifestyle Behaviours. 16% of Healthy Lifestyle Behaviours change is explained by caregiving burden. It has been suggested to plan programs that inform and support caregivers on Alzheimer's disease.