The Profile of Informal Caregivers of Older People in the City of Zagreb

Starije osobe predstavljaju specifičnu skupinu s vrlo različitim potrebama, ovisno o svom fizičkom i psihičkom zdravstvenom statusu. Udio osoba starije dobi u cjelokupnoj populaciji raste, što nazivamo demografskim starenjem, a posljedica je pada nataliteta i produljenja životnog vijeka uslijed napretka medicine i poboljšanja kvalitete života. Istovremeno se povećava i broj onih kojima je potrebna dugotrajna skrb ili potpora, zbog nemogućnosti samostalnog života. Ključnu ulogu u tom procesu imaju neformalni njegovatelji, koji su u većini slučajeva članovi uže obitelji. Stoga je cilj istraživanja bio utvrditi sociodemografska obilježja neformalnih njegovatelja starijih osoba te obilježja njege koju pružaju. Istraživanje je provedeno na prigodnom uzorku 342 neformalna njegovatelja na području grada Zagreba. Rezultati su pokazali da su njegovatelji najčešće udane i zaposlene žene, u srednjoj životnoj dobi. Utvrđeno je i da uglavnom njeguju svoje roditelje, koji su u dubokoj starosti, uz prisutnost multimorbiditeta. Čak trećina njegovatelja obavlja skrb 24 sata dnevno, više od 5 godina. Aktivnosti u kojima najčešće pomažu su njega oboljelog i kućanske aktivnosti. Iskazali su veću potreba za pomoći i njegom u kući, patronažnom službom, gerontološkim centrom i stacionarom. Navedeni rezultati pokazuju veliku opterećenost jednog dijela obiteljskih njegovatelja što ukazuje na potrebu promišljanja boljih zakonskih rješenja koja se odnose na socijalnu politiku prema starijim osobama kao i prema njihovim njegovateljima.Older people represent a specific group with very different needs, depending on their physical and mental health status. The share of older people in the overall population is growing, which is called demographic ageing. That process is a result of the decline in birth rate and increase of life expectancy due to the advancement of medicine and improved quality of life in general. At the same time the number of those who need long-term care or support is also increasing, because of their inability to live independently. Informal caregivers, who in most cases are close family members, play a key role in this process. Therefore, the aim of this research was to identify sociodemographic features of the informal caregivers of older people and the features of the care they provide. The survey was carried out on a convenient sample of 342 informal caregivers from the Zagreb city area. The results showed that caregivers are most often middle-aged married and employed women. It has also been found that they generally care for their parents, who lived to a ripe old age, with the presence of multimorbidity. Even one third of caregivers have provided care for 24 hours a day, during an average period of five years or more. Activities in which they most often provide help are care for the sick and household chores. They expressed a greater need for help and care in homes, patronage services, gerontology centres and infirmaries. The results showed that family caregivers bear a heavy burden, which points to the need to consider better legal solutions related to social policy towards old people as well as their caregivers