Some writers define Burden of Care in three different ways i.e. objective, subjective and perceived.
Factors that influence the impact on the carer have been identified as age of the carer, gender, educational level, income, health status, time spent per day caring for the family member, knowledge of their condition, their age, clinical symptoms, and level of disability in daily life. Other factors include environmental factors (such as finance and housing) and the quality of care received by health and social services.
There has been a lot of research on Burden of Care, most of this has been linked to the impact of caring for a patient with a Mental Health disorder, but many of the findings will be relevant for carers in other situations.
Burden of Care or Caregiver Burden is a term used to describe the impact experienced by the carer. The online Psychology Dictionary defines Caregiver Burden as:
“the fatigue, stress, and all other psychological symptoms experienced first-hand by parents, siblings, and other family members.”
(Psychology Dictionary, n.d.)