The Singapore Family Physician

Back to issue Vol 42 No. 3 - Advance Care Planning and End of Life Care

The Association Between Patient Profile and Caregiver Factors Amongst Recent Stroke Survivors Admitted to Community Hospitals in Singapore

Gerald Koh Choon-Huat
Julia Tan Shi Yu
Alvona Loh Zi Hui
Ong Peck-Hoon
Wee Liang En
Cynthia Chen
Angela Cheong
Fong Ngan Phoon
Chan Kin Ming
Tan Boon Yeow
Edward Menon
Lee Kok Keng
Robert Petrella
Amardeep Thind

The Singapore Family Physician Vol 42 No 3 - Advance Care Planning and End of Life Care
88 - 100
1 September 2016
0377-5305
Caregivers are important in post-stroke rehabilitation, but little work has been done on the caregivers of stroke survivors in Asian cultures. We examined the association between patient profile (age, gender, socioeconomic status, functional level, religion, and ethnicity) and caregiver availability, number of potential caregivers and primary caregiver identity amongst Singaporean community hospitals' stroke patients. Data was obtained from all Singaporean community hospitals from 1996-2005. 3796 patients fulfilled inclusion criteria. Mixed logistic regression identified independent predictors of caregiver availability and primary caregiver identity. Mixed Poisson modelling identified independent predictors of the number of caregiver(s). Among recent stroke survivors, 95.8% (3640/3796) had potential caregivers, of which 94.2% (3429/3640) had identified primary caregivers. Of the latter, 41.2% relied on live-in hired help (foreign domestic workers-FDWs), 27.6% on spouses and 21.6% on first-degree relatives. Independent patient factors associated with caregiver availability and number were older, female, married, higher socioeconomic status, having a religion and lower functional level at admission (all p<0.05). Independent patient factors associated with FDW caregivers were older age, female, Chinese compared to Malay, with higher socioeconomic class and lower functional level at admission (p<0.05). Caregiver availability for post-stroke patients in Singapore community hospitals is relatively high, with heavy dependence on FDWs.