Quality of Life in the Patients with Alzheimer's Disease and their Caregivers: Caregivers' Point of View

Su Jin Kang; Smi Choi-Kwon

doi:10.7475/kjan.2016.28.4.367

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Kang and Choi-Kwon: Quality of Life in the Patients with Alzheimer's Disease and their Caregivers: Caregivers' Point of View

Original Article

Korean Journal of Adult Nursing 2016; 28(4): 367-377.

Published online: 31 August 2016

DOI: https://doi.org/10.7475/kjan.2016.28.4.367

Quality of Life in the Patients with Alzheimer's Disease and their Caregivers: Caregivers' Point of View

Su Jin Kang, Ph.D., RN¹, Smi Choi-Kwon, Ph.D., RN²

¹Postdoctoral Researcher, Research Institute of Nursing Science, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.

²Professor, College of Nursing, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea.

Corresponding author: Choi-Kwon, Smi. College of Nursing, Research Institute of Nursing Science, Seoul National University, 103 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03080, Korea. Tel: +82-2-740-8830, Fax: +82-2-765-4103, smi@snu.ac.kr

Received 15 April 2016 Revised 1 July 2016 Accepted 18 August 2016

(open-access):

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to explore the quality of life (QoL) in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and their and caregivers and its influencing factors.

Methods

A descriptive research design was used. 211 pairs of AD patients and their caregivers were recruited from a neurology outpatient clinic of S medical center in Seoul, Korea. Caregivers completed several structured questionnaires regarding AD patients' QoL as well as their QoL, patients' behavioral and psychological symptoms, patients' activities of daily living (ADL), social support, and quality of relationship between AD patients and caregivers. Cognitive status of AD patients was assessed by the researchers using Korean Mini-Mental State Examination.

Results

The scores of QoL were 26.91 for AD patients and 85.62 for their caregivers. In the multiple regression, factors associated with AD patients' QoL were the quality of relationship (β=.44), ADL (β=-.33), patient's age (β=.20), caregivers' QoL (β=.20), and patient's gender (β=.11). Factors associated with caregivers' QoL were the quality of relationship (β=.34), relationship (β=.32), patient's QoL (β=.26), caregivers' gender (β=.18), social support (β=.12), and the level of caregivers' education (β=.12).

Conclusion

To improve the QoL in AD patients and their caregivers, strategies to promote their quality of relationship are needed.

Keywords: Alzheimer's disease, Caregivers, Quality of life

Figures and Tables

Table 1

General and Clinical Characteristics of the Patients with Alzheimer's Disease and their Caregivers (N=422)

K-MMSE=Korean mini-mental state examination, NPI=neuropsychiatric inventory, S-IADL=Seoul-instrumental activities of daily living

Table 2

Influencing Factors on Quality of Life of Patients with Alzheimer's Disease and Their Caregivers (N=422)

K-MMSE=Korean mini-mental state examination, NPI=neuropsychiatric inventory, QoL=quality of life, S-IADL=Seoul-instrumental activities of daily living.

Table 3

Predictors of Quality of Life in Patients with Alzheimer's Disease and Their Caregivers (N=422)

Adj. R²=adjusted R-squared; B=unstandardized coefficient; SE B=standard error of B; β=standardized coefficient; S-IADL=Seoul-instrumental activities of daily living

Notes

The manuscript is a revision of the first author's doctoral dissertation from Seoul National University.

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