Analysis of the burdens of caregivers providing care to people living with HIV/AIDS in Botswana

Background: Caregivers, when providing care under the community home-based care (CHBC) programme, experience many burdens of a physical, emotional, financial or social nature. However, these problems are hardly ever considered by the planners of CHBC programmes. A comprehensive overview of the experiences of caregivers is desirable to help policy makers and public health planners formulate intervention measures to address caregivers’ burdens. Methods: The sample size calculator programme that allows for 95% confidence (and an error margin of 4%) was used: the estimated sample size for the study was 272. This number was derived from the eight sampled CHBC groups using probability proportional to size. Simple random sampling was employed in identifying the specific caregivers to be interviewed. Questionnaires were administered on this selected sample at their homes or CHBC headquarters by trained research assistants who ensured that all ethical considerations were observed. In the end, 169 caregivers responded within the study period.Results: The study shows that very little support is given to caregivers. In addition, while men’s burdens are mainly economic, those of women are overwhelmingly emotional. Furthermore, there is an insignificant association between caregivers’ expected and received support while providing care to people living with HIV/AIDS. Conclusion: The study concludes that, to reduce caregivers’ burdens, a comprehensive CHBC programme, that will ensure that the role of CHBC caregivers is adequately recognised by the government and community, is needed.Keywords: caregiver; burden; HIV/AIDS; CHB