Caregiver Burden among Primary Caregivers of Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Systematic Review

Background: Caregivers are individuals responsible for assisting older, sick, or disabled persons. The majority of care services are provided by family members acting as primary caregivers. Providing care for older people entails considerable financial, physical, and psychosocial strain, which can reduce both the quality of life of caregivers and the quality of care provided. With the growing proportion of individuals aged 60 and above, along with advancements in medical and technological fields that extend life expectancy, concerns regarding elder care are increasing.Methods: This systematic review examined the effects of interventions on caregiver burden among primary caregivers of community-dwelling older adults and identified key factors influencing caregiving challenges. A total of 354 peer-reviewed articles published between 2000 and 2023 were extracted from databases including Embase, PubMed, and Scopus. The agreement rate between the first and third authors during the article selection process was 93%. Article quality was assessed using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) Scale. Abstracts and full texts were reviewed by the second and fourth authors, with an inter-rater agreement of 89%.Results: Thirteen articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final review. All were of medium to high methodological quality, each scoring five or above on the PEDro scale. The studies focused on interventions targeting older adults (n=4), caregivers (n=5), or both (n=4). Interventions aimed directly at caregivers were identified as the most effective in reducing caregiver burden. Findings were synthesized based on reported outcomes related to caregiver burden, stress, and depression.Conclusion: The review concludes that direct interventions for caregivers are the most effective strategy for reducing caregiver burden. Designing and evaluating individualized intervention programs may further enhance their effectiveness and inform future caregiving support strategies.