Sharing in Caring: Family Caregiving Task-Sharing Patterns for Older Adults in Singapore
2024

Family Caregiving Task-Sharing Patterns for Older Adults in Singapore

Sample size: 278 publication 10 minutes Evidence: moderate

Author Information

Author(s): Lim-Soh Jeremy, Sung Pildoo, Quach Ha-Linh, Malhotra Rahul

Primary Institution: Duke-NUS Medical School, National University of Singapore

Hypothesis

What are the caregiving task-sharing patterns among multiple caregivers for older adults in Singapore?

Conclusion

The study identified three caregiving task-sharing patterns, highlighting the importance of multiple caregivers in supporting older adults.

Supporting Evidence

  • Three caregiving patterns were identified: Shared-Diverse, Shared-Domestic, and Solo-Diverse.
  • Solo-Diverse caregivers had higher depressive symptoms compared to those in Shared-Diverse patterns.
  • Most older adults received help from a primary family caregiver with socioemotional and other needs.

Takeaway

This study shows that many families in Singapore share caregiving tasks for older adults, which helps reduce the burden on individual caregivers.

Methodology

Latent class analysis was used to identify caregiving task-sharing patterns based on interviews with primary family caregivers.

Potential Biases

The reliance on primary caregivers to report on secondary caregivers may underestimate shared caregiving.

Limitations

The study is cross-sectional and does not capture changes in caregiving patterns over time.

Participant Demographics

Care recipients had a mean age of 85 years, mostly female, with an average of 4.6 chronic conditions.

Statistical Information

P-Value

p<0.05

Confidence Interval

95% CI: 0.31–3.72

Statistical Significance

p<0.05

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1093/geronb/gbae186

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