ABSTRACT

Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate the major factors affecting the burden of care givers interms of their cognitive function and the reduction in the Activities of Daily Living in dementia patients who cannotbe avoided after a dementia diagnosis. Methods: For a total of 126 dementia patients and their care givers living in the community, an evaluation wasconducted using the Mini‐Mental State Examination for Dementia Screening(MMSE-DS), the Korean version of theInstrumental Activities of Daily Living(K-IADL), and the Short Zarit Burden Inventory(S-ZBI). The Data wereanalyzed using descriptive statistics, an independent sample t test, a one‐way ANOVA, a Pearson’s correlationanalysis, and a stepwise multiple regression analysis. Results: The major factors negatively affecting the care burden of care givers were found to be languagefunctionality in the cognitive function area, and food preparation, transportation, and telephone use in the area ofIADL performance. In addition, among the general characteristics, it was confirmed that the cohabitation type,education level, and age are variables affecting care giver burden. Conclusion: The results showed this study has significant implications for the care process of the communitydementia patients as a major factor that negatively affects the care burden of caregivers. Further studies shouldbe conducted in consideration of the characteristics of the subjects and the differences in the care environment.