Greek Caregivers of Chronically Ill Patients Struggling in Everyday Life

Background: Caregivers of chronically ill geriatric patients face several problems throughout the disease progression of the patients under their care. This is a prospective crosssectional study conducted from September 2017 to September 2018, including 130 caregivers of geriatric patients from Attica, Greece. Objectives: This study investigates caregivers’ anxiety, perception of changes in their lives, and quality of life. Methods: The questionnaires administered were the revised Bakas Caregiving Outcomes Scale (rBCOS), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), and the Linear Analogue Scale Assessment (LASA). Results: Influencing factors associated with rBCOS, STAI and LASA were care timespan and energy levels. Only the State Anxiety Scale and the Patient-caregiver Relationship rBCOS questionnaire seemed to be affected by a cancer diagnosis. Conclusion: Our findings revealed that anxiety, low quality of life, and perception of changes in the lives of caregivers are the underlying factors. Significant factors were time spent caring for the patient, the status of their relationship, the diagnosis, especially in life-threatening and life-limiting diseases, and the caregivers’ energy levels. These results are important in order to comprehend the lives of caregivers and assess by what means could the healthcare system and society further assist them.