Alice Ming Lin Chong
City University of Hong Kong, China
Title: Can domestic helpers moderate distress of offspring caregivers of cognitively impaired older adults?
Biography
Biography: Alice Ming Lin Chong
Abstract
Introduction: There is an increasing trend for families in some developed countries, such as Hong Kong, to employ domestic helpers or nannies from developing countries to assist in caregiving of older people with cognitive impairment. This study examined the moderating effect of domestic helpers on reducing distress of offspring taking care of parents with cognitive impairments.
Material & Methods: A secondary analysis of data involving 5,086 Hong Kong Chinese adults aged 60 or older applying for public long-term care services from 2010–2012 was used. All variables were measured using the Hong Kong version of the Minimum Data Set-Home Care 2.0, which has been translated and validated in many different societies, including Hong Kong.
Results: 10.7% of offspring primary caregivers were assisted by domestic helpers and 44.45% reported distress. Assistance from domestic helpers was found to reduce offspring caregiver distress if the offspring provided psychological support to parents (-0.4289, p<.05) and were not living with parents (0.1632, p<.01).
Conclusion: Domestic helpers appeared to moderate the effects of some stressors on offspring caregiving distress. Their influence was positive if offspring caregivers did not live with their parents with dementia, possibly because caregiving is usually less stressful for informal caregivers not residing with care recipients. On the other hand, having a domestic helper could add to caregiving distress if offspring caregivers live with their parents, most likely because offspring may witness difficulties that domestic helpers face in providing dementia care, which requires special training and much support. The findings also suggest the importance of meeting the psychological needs of older adults with dementia.