Factors Affecting Burnout When Caring for Older Adults Needing Long Term Care Services in Korea

The purpose of this study was to address factors related to caregiver burnout as a result of caring for an older adult with a chronic disease. Characteristics of care recipients and caregivers as well as social support were included to identify the relationships with caregiver burnout. The analysis was based on a sample of 334 older adults and their caregivers in Korea. The logistic regression results indicated that the period of being in need of another's help among care-recipients, co-residence, caregivers' health condition, previous care experience, and caregivers' free time were correlated with the caregivers' future caregiving. Interestingly, the more experience caregivers had in caring for older adults, the more willing they were to provide care in the future. Thus, the discussion focuses on services for those who are new to providing care for older adults because they tend to have less coping skills.