The effects of caregiver support services on relieving caregiving strain in older adults

Abstract

The purpose of this thesis is to examine the effectiveness of the National Family Caregiver Support Program (NFCSP) on caregivers’ well-being. Data from the 2004 National Long Term Care Survey (N =1600) were linked to data from the government expenditures on NFCSP in 2004. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to analyze the impact of expenditures on the three NFCSP services on caregiving strain. Findings indicate that expenditures on access assistance and respite care moderate the caregiving burden-caregiving strain relationships. Moreover, the interaction between hours of caregiving spent and access assistance indicates that caregivers who report more caregiving hours show higher caregiving strain, but also that the caregivers’ strain is even higher for those who report more caregiving hours and live in states with higher expenditure of access assistance services. Findings suggest that NFCSP may represent an important factor that influences the caregiving burden-caregiving strain relationships of informal caregivers.