Relationship between family caregiver quality of life and the care provided to people living with dementia: protocol for a mixed methods study

Afeez Abiola Hazzan; Patti Follansbee; Jason Dauenhauer; Alexandra E Completo; Afeez Abiola Hazzan; Patti Follansbee; Jason Dauenhauer; Alexandra E Completo

doi:10.3934/publichealth.2020025

AIMS Public Health

2020, Volume 7, Issue 2: 301-305. doi: 10.3934/publichealth.2020025

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Protocol

Relationship between family caregiver quality of life and the care provided to people living with dementia: protocol for a mixed methods study

1.
Department of Healthcare Studies, the College at Brockport, State University of New York, 350 New Campus Drive, Brockport, New York 14420, USA
2.
Department of Social Work, the College at Brockport, State University of New York, 350 New Campus Drive, Brockport, New York 14420, USA

Received: 22 January 2020 Accepted: 06 May 2020 Published: 11 May 2020

Objective Family caregivers of people with dementia perform duties that are important for maintaining their loved one's overall well-being. However, it is not yet clear how these caregivers' quality-of-life affects their ability to meet the care demands of their loved ones. The purpose of this study is to utilize a mixed methods approach in investigating how family caregiver quality-of-life affects the care provided to people with dementia. Family caregivers will be recruited from the Rochester, New York area to participate in focus groups or one-on-one interviews. In addition to the qualitative data obtained, caregivers will complete questionnaires regarding their own quality-of-life (e.g., health status, socioeconomic) as well as the care provided to their loved ones with dementia (e.g., how the care provided meets the needs of the care recipient, time spent). A convergent mixed methods approach will be used to analyze the qualitative and quantitative data obtained.
Results Data from the interviews will be transcribed verbatim and then analyzed qualitatively. Quantitative data from the questionnaires will be analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics software. A convergent mixed methods approach will be applied to the datasets to help shed light on the relationship between family caregiver quality-of-life and the care provided to people living with dementia. Understanding of this relationship will make it possible to develop initiatives that better address caregiver needs.
- family caregiver,
- quality of life,
- quality of care,
- level of care,
- dementia,
- Alzheimer's disease,
- aging,
- caregiving
Citation: Afeez Abiola Hazzan, Patti Follansbee, Jason Dauenhauer, Alexandra E Completo. Relationship between family caregiver quality of life and the care provided to people living with dementia: protocol for a mixed methods study[J]. AIMS Public Health, 2020, 7(2): 301-305. doi: 10.3934/publichealth.2020025

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Abstract

Objective Family caregivers of people with dementia perform duties that are important for maintaining their loved one's overall well-being. However, it is not yet clear how these caregivers' quality-of-life affects their ability to meet the care demands of their loved ones. The purpose of this study is to utilize a mixed methods approach in investigating how family caregiver quality-of-life affects the care provided to people with dementia. Family caregivers will be recruited from the Rochester, New York area to participate in focus groups or one-on-one interviews. In addition to the qualitative data obtained, caregivers will complete questionnaires regarding their own quality-of-life (e.g., health status, socioeconomic) as well as the care provided to their loved ones with dementia (e.g., how the care provided meets the needs of the care recipient, time spent). A convergent mixed methods approach will be used to analyze the qualitative and quantitative data obtained.

Results Data from the interviews will be transcribed verbatim and then analyzed qualitatively. Quantitative data from the questionnaires will be analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics software. A convergent mixed methods approach will be applied to the datasets to help shed light on the relationship between family caregiver quality-of-life and the care provided to people living with dementia. Understanding of this relationship will make it possible to develop initiatives that better address caregiver needs.

Acknowledgments

State University of New York (SUNY) College at Brockport; Lifespan of Greater Rochester; Alzheimer's Association, Rochester & Finger Lakes Region Chapter.

Limitation

Despite advances in research and medical care, dementia remains an incurable disease with several types including Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, and frontotemporal dementia. Hence, the relationships between caregiver QoL and the care provided may be mediated by the specific type of dementia. Other factors that may influence this relationship include: age of caregiver and care recipient, socioeconomic status, as well as comorbidity. To address these limitations, we will collect information about sociodemographic variables and analyze them using appropriate methodologies.

Ethics approval and consent to participate

This study (Brockport IRB 2017-63) was approved by the Institutional Review Board (IRB) at The College at Brockport, State University of New York. Written informed consent will be obtained from all participants. Participation in the study is completely voluntary.

Funding

Pre-Tenure Grant Award-State University of New York (SUNY) College at Brockport.

Author's contributions

AAH conceived the study and led the design and the writing of this manuscript. PF, JD, and AC contributed to the writing of this manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

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