Program and policy perspectives on the interplay of risk factors and the associated negative outcomes among family caregivers

A copy of the questionnaire appears in Appendix A. The objectives of this study were to use the perspectives provided by the key informant to identify: • The risk factors observed most often • The risk factors judged to place the caregiver at the highest risk • How risk factors change over time • Risk factor interactions • The outcomes for caregivers of risk factors and their interactions • What n [...] Limitations of the methodology include the voluntary nature of key informant participation, which biases the results toward the perspectives of those who have a sufficiently strong concern for caregiver risks to respond to the invitation to participate. [...] Behaviour-altering diseases and conditions such as dementia, Alzheimer’s Disease and brain injury were judged by key informants to present high risks for the caregiver because of aggressive behaviours by the care recipient, the need for constant presence and care, uncertainty and fear about what the present and future would hold as the disease progresses, and inability to secure adequate care from [...] Inability to achieve respite may result from lack of money to participate in outside activities, lack of time because of caregiving duties, lack of services or opportunities in the community that are available when the caregiver is able to leave the home, or caregiver apathy as a result of fatigue and depression. [...] A caregiver addicted to drugs, alcohol or gambling is at risk because of their addiction, and also places the care recipient at risk because of the likelihood of neglect, physical and emotional abuse and theft from the care recipient to support the caregiver’s addiction.