Gender differences among Canadian spousal caregivers at the end of life

Gender differences among Canadian spousal caregivers at the end of life

Brazil K

Health & Social Care in the Community

2009

Palliative Care; Parent caregivers; end-of-life care; Gender differences; home-based palliative care; spousal caregiving

The purpose of this study was to examine gender differences in spousal caregiving at the end of life. The primary research question was to determine gender differences in caregiver strain among spousal caregivers. The study was conducted over a 2-year period (2000–2002) in south-central Ontario, Canada. The study sample included 283 informal spousal caregivers (198 females, 85 males) each of whom were caring for a terminally ill spouse at the time they participated in a cross-sectional telephone survey. The analysis showed that females reported a significantly greater level of caregiving strain than males. When considering source of support in activities of daily living for the care recipient, differential assistance was noted on the basis of caregiver gender. Female caregivers had almost twice the odds of providing support in toileting-related tasks than male caregivers, while male caregivers had approximately twice the odds of providing support in mobility-related tasks. Care recipients who had a female caregiver had lower odds of receiving support from family and friends in tasks associated with personal care. To address gender differences in caregiving, a realistic home-based palliative care approach must take into account the importance of informal caregivers.

2009

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