Effectiveness of a Caregiving Program for Family Caregivers in three Culturally Diverse Groups

Abstract

Introduction: The population aging due to the demographic and epidemiological transition implies that elderly people are dependent on activities of daily living, requiring a constant care of people called "caregivers", who generate a burden that affects their physical and mental health. Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a caregiving program for family caregivers in three culturally diverse groups. Methodology: This is a quantitative and analytical research based on the results of three quasi-experimental studies of family caregivers groups of functionally dependent elderly people. 88 caregivers from three different municipalities (Bogotá, Cáqueza and Guapi) participated in an educational program with care actions culturally adapted. The data was collected with the Zarit Burden Interview Scale (ZBI); but before and after the implementation of the program, an analysis using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test was performed with each group to compare them. Some ethical aspects were considered as well. Results: The educational program for family caregivers had a statistically significant effect on the burden of care of caregivers from Cáqueza (p value 0.014), possibly because the program responds to one of the priority needs of these caregivers who are taking care of themselves, unlike caregivers from Bogotá and Guapi. The results suggest continuing with more studies and programs to caregivers but with a cultural perspective. Conclusion: Achieving statistically significant results in Cáqueza carers suggests that they have a better family and neighborhood support network, for that reason they assume their attendance to the program with greater dedication, integrality and time availability.