Supporting Family Cargivers / Unterstützung für pflegende Angehörige

Family caregivers suffer from stress due to the caregiving situation which is negatively associated with health. This review focuses on possibilities of support for the family caregivers. This review was performed by the use of the databases PubMed and PsychINFO with the following keywords in various combinations: stress, chronic stress, burden, family caregiving, family caregiver, coping, intervention. An exclusion criterion was infantile care recipient.

Our results indicate that knowledge, information and training for caregivers reduce stress. External advice by health care professionals, as well as the encouragement to focus on their own needs is experienced as helpful. Support can also be given via telephone helpline and/or the internet. Also direct communication with other caregivers reduces stress. A positive view on care needed in old age helps to bear the burden of caring for older adults. The effort of family caregivers should be more recognized as they play an important part in society. The Austrian Republic saves 2-3 billion € per year due to informal caregiving. Health professionals should identify family caregivers as a risk group and provide information on an interdisciplinary base. With the given advice, attention and support, the burden of the caregivers on the one hand and un-necessary costs on the other hand could be reduced.