An evaluation of care burden problems of household people who provide care to mentally disabled individuals: A sample in Rize

Objective: The purpose of this descriptive study is to make an analysis of care burden and problems of household people who provide care to mentally disabled individuals. Method: It was conducted with family caregivers who provided care to individuals with disability and were registered in Social Services Unit in the Provincial Directorate of Family and Social Policies in Rize between 1st of April and 1st of June, 2017. The target population of the study was 486 caregivers who provided care to mentally disabled individuals and who benefitted from homecare help from the Provincial Directorate of Family and Social Policies of Rize. Sample of the study was 99 caregivers who volunteered to participate in the study. Data were collected through face to face interviews conducted during home visits, using The Home Care Service Information Form (Appendix-I) and the Care Burden Scale (Appendix-II). Percentages, means, numbers, standard deviations, Chi-square, Mann Whitney U and Kruskall Wallis tests were used for the analysis of the data. Findings: Results showed that care burden mean score of the caregivers was 35.26±11.00. The religion was the most important methods of care burden for caregivers (51.52%). Results: Majority of the caregivers experienced burnout, and a statistically significant relationship was found between care burden and financial situation, duration of care, self-care, mobility, self-expression, and problems in social life.