The effect of structered soci̇al support programme appli̇ed to caregi̇vers of elderly on care gi̇ver burden and soci̇al support percepti̇on

Objective: It is known that the care needs of dependent older people are widely provided by their family members, and this process causes physical, social, and economic burdens on caregivers. The role of social support in reducing this burden on caregivers is accepted very commonly. In this study, we aimed to identify the social support perception of caregivers of the elderly and reveal the "Structured Social Support Program" effect on caregiver burden and their social support perception. The study aims to conduct a "Social Support Program Model" to strengthen social support and also give a contribution to studies on this subject. Material and Methods: Our study was carried at between March 2018 and December 2020. The study includes 85 participants registered at Söke Sarıkemer Family Health Center and giving care to dependent older people over 65 years. Thirty participants inconsistent with study criteria were excluded. Social support program was applied to 20 caregivers and the other 35 caregivers were excepted as the control group. The structured social support program consisted of a telephone communication network, exercise, and education components. Care Giver Burden Scale and Multidimensional Perceived Social Support Scales were applied to all participants at the beginning and the end of eight weeks. The pre and final test scores of the scales and the changes in those scores were analyzed statistically with SPSS 22.0 software program. Results: A significant increase in the caregiver burden of the control group was observed after the social support program. Along with that, a significant increase in social support perception and friend, family, and special person subscale scores in the social support group. In the control group, significant decreases were found in perceived social support, especially in family and friend subscale scores. Conclusion: Our structured social support program has positive contributions to caregiver burden and social support perception. Keywords: Caregiver burden, Social support perception, Structured social support program