Does Reality Overcome the Expected? Survey on Informal Caregivers’ Profile: A Nurse-Led Study in Times of COVID-19

Maria Adriana Henriques, David de Sousa Loura (), Paulo Nogueira, Graça Melo, Idalina Gomes, Isabel Ferraz, Laura Viegas and Andreia Costa
Additional contact information
Maria Adriana Henriques: Nursing Research, Innovation and Development Centre of Lisbon (CIDNUR), Nursing School of Lisbon (ESEL), 1600-096 Lisbon, Portugal
David de Sousa Loura: Nursing School of Lisbon, 1600-096 Lisbon, Portugal
Paulo Nogueira: Nursing Research, Innovation and Development Centre of Lisbon (CIDNUR), Nursing School of Lisbon (ESEL), 1600-096 Lisbon, Portugal
Graça Melo: Nursing Research, Innovation and Development Centre of Lisbon (CIDNUR), Nursing School of Lisbon (ESEL), 1600-096 Lisbon, Portugal
Idalina Gomes: Nursing Research, Innovation and Development Centre of Lisbon (CIDNUR), Nursing School of Lisbon (ESEL), 1600-096 Lisbon, Portugal
Isabel Ferraz: Nursing Research, Innovation and Development Centre of Lisbon (CIDNUR), Nursing School of Lisbon (ESEL), 1600-096 Lisbon, Portugal
Laura Viegas: Nursing Research, Innovation and Development Centre of Lisbon (CIDNUR), Nursing School of Lisbon (ESEL), 1600-096 Lisbon, Portugal
Andreia Costa: Nursing Research, Innovation and Development Centre of Lisbon (CIDNUR), Nursing School of Lisbon (ESEL), 1600-096 Lisbon, Portugal

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 18, 1-18

Abstract: The increasing overload of chronic conditions raises challenges for the health system. Informal caregivers have a major role in ensuring the quality of life of the cared-for person, despite the reported lack of working resources which can lead to unmet needs. This article reports on the first part of a nurse-led research project entitled ‘‘Informal caregiver’ profiles in Lisbon county: a health community approach.’ We aimed to support decision-making by developing an informal caregiver profile to promote tailored interventions. A survey addressing the dyad was developed and submitted to a convenient, network-based, stratified sample of carers aged 18 years or above. More than thirty community partners supported the identification of caregivers. Data were submitted to univariate descriptive analysis. A profile of the cared-for person and the informal caregiver was uncovered by identifying 639 caregivers, of whom the majority lived with the cared-for person. Only four percent planned the transition to a caregiver role, and no more than 10% had access to support programs. Approximately half of the respondents found that COVID-19 negatively impacted their performance in the caregiver role. Developing a local and tailored strategy with collaboration between healthcare professionals, academics, and community partners is key to ensuring that meaningful support is provided to caregivers.

Keywords: informal caregivers; nursing; survey; health profile; community (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/18/11394/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/18/11394/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:18:p:11394-:d:911733

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().