Table 3.
Differences between types of informal caregivers' needs for additional professional support (Number (%)).
| Needs for additional professional help | Spouses N = 490 |
Sons/Daughters (in- law) n = 372 |
p value | Living at home n = 631 |
Living in a nursing home or home for the elderly n = 299 |
Total N = 984 |
p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advice | |||||||
| I need to learn what to do when the person I am caring for is frightened, angry or confused |
115 (23.3) |
133 (35.8) |
0.001* |
182 (28.8) |
86 (28.8) |
282 (28.8) |
0.997 |
| I need to know how to deal with the apathy of the person I am caring for |
98 (19.8) |
69 (18.6) |
0.287 |
133 (21.0) |
38 (12.7) |
182 (18.4) |
0.002* |
| I need to learn how to cope with changes in the behavior of the person I am caring for |
83 (16.8) |
83 (22.3) |
0.186 |
130 (20.5) |
43 (14.4) |
186 (18.6) |
0.024* |
| I need to learn how to deal with the aggression of the person I am caring for |
66 (13.4) |
56 (15.1) |
0.755 |
83 (13.1) |
43 (14.4) |
138 (13.5) |
0.597 |
| I need to know which activities I can undertake with the person I am caring for |
66 (13.4) |
46 (12.4) |
0.894 |
88 (13.9) |
26 (8.7) |
124 (12.2) |
0.024* |
| Information | |||||||
| I need more information about the professional help and support available in the region |
90 (18.2) |
81 (21.8) |
0.093 |
150 (23.7) |
23 (7.7) |
183 (18.6) |
0.000* |
| I need information about the progression of dementia |
68 (13.8) |
79 (21.2) |
0.014* |
117 (18.5) |
44 (14.7) |
167 (17.3) |
0.156 |
| I need information about the legal amends in case of admission of the person with dementia to a nursing home or home for the elderly |
100 (20.2) |
41 (11.0) |
0.002* |
131 (20.7) |
16 (5.4) |
155 (15.8) |
0.000* |
| Coordination of dementia care | |||||||
| I want professional caregivers to work together and to tailor the care |
62 (12.6) |
75 (20.2) |
0.005* |
104 (16.4) |
43 (14.4) |
156 (15.8) |
0.432 |
| I want to reflect the professional care from time to time with professional caregivers |
56 (11.3) |
67 (18.0) |
0.050* |
89 (14.1) |
44 (14.7) |
139 (14.3) |
0.789 |
| Emotional support | |||||||
| I need someone to take away the feeling that I am the only one to look after the person with dementia |
85 (17.2) |
38 (10.2) |
0.024* |
95 (15.0) |
32 (10.7) |
135 (13.6) |
0.074 |
| I need someone to look after the person with dementia now and then |
74 (15.0) |
44 (11.8) |
0.399 |
109 (17.2) |
10 (3.3) |
129 (12.8) |
0.000* |
| I need emotional support |
81 (16.4) |
38 (10.2) |
0.016* |
87 (13.8) |
34 (11.4) |
129 (13.0) | 0.314 |
*Differences between the scores of 'spouses' and 'sons/daughters (in-law)'versus differences between 'living at home' and 'living in a nursing home or home for the elderly' are statistically significant (Chi-square test, p < 0.05).