Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-7qhmt Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-19T05:38:55.123Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Association between Falls and Caregiving Tasks among Informal Caregivers: Canadian Community Health Survey Data

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 January 2018

Wendy Vaughon*
Affiliation:
CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy
Yeonjung Lee
Affiliation:
University of Calgary
William Gallo
Affiliation:
CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy
Jennifer Kaufman
Affiliation:
CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy
Aig Unuigbe
Affiliation:
Graduate Center, CUNY
*
*Correspondence and requests for reprints should be sent to / La correspondance et les demandes de tirés-à-part doivent être adresées à : Wendy Vaughon, MPH CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy 55 W 125th St. New York, NY 10027 <wvaughon@hunter.cuny.edu>

Abstract

Falls are a common cause of morbidity and mortality in older adults. While research has explored the relationship between older care recipient falls and caregiver health, there has been little investigation of the relationship between caregiving tasks and falls in older caregivers. This study assessed associations between falls and caregiving frequency and type of caregiving tasks among informal older caregivers. Data from the Canadian Community Health Survey on Healthy Aging (Public Use Microdata File 2008–2009) (n = 2,934) were examined, using descriptive and logistic regression analyses. Higher frequency of caregiving was positively associated with falls, although those who performed household chores were less likely to report falling in the past year. Results suggest there may be an association between factors related to caregiving and falls in older caregivers. More research using longitudinal and experimental data is needed to better understand the relationship between caregiving tasks and falls in older caregivers.

Résumé

Les chutes constituent une cause de morbidité et de mortalité fréquente chez les personnes âgées. Bien que plusieurs études aient exploré les liens entre les chutes des bénéficiaires de soins plus âgés et la santé de leurs aidants, peu de recherches ont abordé les liens entre les tâches effectuées par les aidants âgés et leurs propres chutes. La présente étude a évalué les rapports entre, d’une part, les chutes des aidants et, d’autre part, la fréquence et le type de tâches assumées par des aidants naturels plus âgés. Les données, tirées de l’Enquête sur la santé des collectivités canadiennes - Vieillissement en santé (ESCC 2008-2009; N=2934), ont été examinées à l’aide d’analyses descriptives et de régressions logistiques. Les fréquences de prestation de soins plus élevées étaient positivement associées, chez les aidants, avec un plus grand nombre de chutes subies au cours de la dernière année, tandis que les aidants effectuant des tâches ménagères rapportaient moins de chutes. Ces résultats indiquent qu’il pourrait y avoir une relation entre des facteurs associés aux soins fournis et les chutes, chez les aidants plus âgés. De plus amples recherches, utilisant des données longitudinales et expérimentales, sont nécessaires pour mieux comprendre les liens entre les tâches assumées par l’aidant âgé et ses risques de chute.

Type
Articles
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Association on Gerontology 2018 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Bath, P. A., & Morgan, K. (1999). Differential risk factor profiles for indoor and outdoor falls in older people living at home in Nottingham, UK. European Journal of Epidemiology, 15(1), 6573.Google Scholar
Butler-Jones, D. (2010). Chapter 3: The health and well-being of Canadian seniors. In The Chief Public Health Officer’s report on the state of public health in Canada (pp. 1941). Ottawa, ON: Public Health Agency of Canada. Retrieved from http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/cphorsphc-respcacsp/2010/fr-rc/pdf/cpho_report_2010_e.pdf Google Scholar
Canadian Institute for Health Information. (2011). Health care in Canada: A focus on seniors and aging. Retrieved from https://secure.cihi.ca/free_products/HCIC_2011_seniors_report_en.pdf Google Scholar
Chen, T. Y., & Janke, M. C. (2012). Gardening as a potential activity to reduce falls in older adults. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, 20(1), 1531.Google Scholar
DiGrande, L., Clark, E., Ehrlich, A., Clark, N., Millstone, M., & Schlamm, R. (2010). Preventing falls in older adults in the community. City Health Information, 29(4), 2532. Retrieved from http://www1.nyc.gov/assets/doh/downloads/pdf/chi/chi29-4.pdf Google Scholar
Edwards, P., & Mawani, A. (2006). Healthy aging in Canada: A new vision, a vital investment from evidence to action. Ottawa, ON: Alder Group.Google Scholar
French, D. D., Margo, C. E., Tanna, A. P., Volpe, N. J., & Rubenstein, L. Z. (2016). Associations of injurious falls and self-reported incapacities: Analysis of the national health interview survey. Journal of Patient Safety, 12(3), 148–51.Google Scholar
Ganz, D. A., Bao, Y., Shekelle, P. G., & Rubenstein, L. Z. (2007). Will my patient fall? JAMA, 297(1), 7786.Google Scholar
Gray, Y. (2004). Does the rapid risk factor surveillance system measure up? Seniors who fall. Retrieved from http://www.rrfss.ca/resources/Seniors%20Who%20Fall%20-Yvonne%20Gray%20-Final%20Report.pdf Google Scholar
Kramer, B. J. (1997). Gain in the caregiving experience: Where are we? What next? The Gerontologist, 37(2), 218232.Google Scholar
Kuzuya, M., Masuda, Y., Hirakawa, Y., Iwata, M., Enoki, H., Hasegawa, J.Iguchi, A. (2006). Falls of the elderly are associated with burden of caregivers in the community. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 21(8), 740745.Google Scholar
O’Loughlin, J. L., Robitaille, Y., Boivin, J. F., & Suissa, S. (1993). Incidence of and risk factors for falls and injurious falls among the community-dwelling elderly. American Journal of Epidemiology, 137(3), 342354.Google Scholar
Park, E. O., Yates, B. C., Schumacher, K. L., Meza, J., Kosloski, K., & Pullen, C. (2013). Caregiving demand and difficulty in older adult spousal caregivers after coronary artery bypass surgery. Geriatric Nursing, 34(5), 383387.Google Scholar
Roth, D. L., Fredman, L., & Haley, W. E. (2015). Informal caregiving and its impact on health: A reappraisal from population-based studies. The Gerontologist, 55(2), 309319.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rubenstein, L. Z. (2006). Falls in older people: Epidemiology, risk factors and strategies for prevention. Age and Ageing, 35(Suppl 2), ii37–ii41.Google Scholar
Schulz, R., & Beach, S. R. (1999). Caregiving as a risk factor for mortality: The Caregiver Health Effects Study. JAMA, 282(23), 22152219.Google Scholar
Scott, V., Peck, S., & Kendall, P. (2004). Prevention of falls and injuries among the elderly: A special report from the Office of the Provincial Health Officer. Victoria, BC: BC Ministry of Health Planning.Google Scholar
Shaw, W. S., Patterson, T. L., Semple, S. J., Ho, S., Irwin, M. R., Hauger, R. L., & Grant, I. (1997). Longitudinal analysis of multiple indicators of health decline among spousal caregivers. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 19(2), 101109.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Statistics Canada. (2010). Canadian Community Health Survey – Healthy Aging CCHS. Ottawa, ON: Retrieved from http://www23.statcan.gc.ca/imdb/p2SV.pl?Function=getSurvey&SDDS=5146&Item_Id=47962&lang=en Google Scholar
Tinetti, M. E., Baker, D. I., McAvay, G., Claus, E. B., Garrett, P., Gottschalk, M., & Horwitz, R. I. (1994). A multifactorial intervention to reduce the risk of falling among elderly people living in the community. New England Journal of Medicine, 331(13), 821827.Google Scholar
Tinetti, M. E., & Williams, C. S. (1997). Falls, injuries due to falls, and the risk of admission to a nursing home. New England Journal of Medicine, 337(18), 12791284.Google Scholar
Turner, A., & Findlay, L. (2012). Informal caregiving for seniors. Health Reports, 23(3), 3336.Google Scholar