ความต้องการของผู้ดูแลผู้ที่เป็นโรคพาร์กินสัน

Abstract

Parkinson’s disease is a chronic illness that cannot be cured. The symptoms get worse throughout the duration of the disease, especially in elderly patients, who have disease progression and more severe complications than younger ones. As a result, patients ability to take care of themselves decreases, and they require continuous assistance from their caregivers. Therefore, caregivers are important persons in caring for persons with Parkinson’s disease. The purpose of this descriptive study was to explore the needs of caregivers of persons with Parkinson’s disease. The participants were caregivers of persons with Parkinson’s disease who were treated by neurologists from four hospitals: 1) Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital, 2) Geriatric Medical Center, Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, 3) Chiang Mai Neurological Hospital, and 4) Lampang Hospital. The 214 caregivers were purposively selected to be participants. Data collection was conducted from July 2020 to January 2021. Data collection instruments included: 1) a personal record form for caregivers, 2) a personal record form for persons with Parkinson’s disease, and 3) an interview form for caregivers needs, which was developed by the researcher using the concept of caregivers needs by Wingate and Lackey (1989). The instruments were tested, and content validity index was 0.96; reliability tested by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.96. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics: frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation. The results showed that: 1. The overall needs of caregivers of persons with Parkinson’s disease were at a moderate level (X̅ = 2.13, S.D. = 0.91). 2. For each of the seven specific aspects of caregiver needs, four aspects were at a moderate level (information needs, physical needs, psychological needs, and legal and/or financial needs), and three aspects were at a mild level (spiritual needs, respite needs, and household management needs). 3. The needs of caregivers were different related to the level of disease severity. Caregivers’ needs at the mild level were found at the lowest disease severity, level 1, and increased caregivers’ needs were at the moderate level when disease severity was higher, at level 2, 3, 4, and 5. 4. The needs of caregivers were different relative to the personal characteristics of caregivers. The personal characteristics of caregivers which were related to different needs were: age, education, occupation, comorbidities, family’s income, relationship with patients, and duration of patient care. The study provided data on the needs of caregivers of persons with Parkinson’s disease. Nurses should use this information for planning and advising caregivers by considering disease severity and the personal characteristics of caregivers, to provide appropriate care relative to patients’ conditions and to meet the needs of caregivers, which should increase the efficiency of care.