Caregiver Burden and Recruitment among Caregivers of Older Adults

A major challenge for most researchers is recruitment and retention rates among study subjects. Because of the time and energy needed to care for the care recipient, study participation amongst caregivers of older adults is further limited. This study focuses on recruitment among caregivers of older adults to determine whether caregiver burden plays a role in study participation. We hypothesized that eligible caregivers who were unable to participate would have higher levels of caregiver burden compared to caregivers that were able to attend the education program. Data from a longitudinal research study evaluating an educational and support intervention program for family caregivers were used. Caregiver burden was measured using Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) among family caregivers. Despite the potential benefits offered by the education intervention, the recruitment rate of subjects from a study population of caregivers was low at 7% (N=3112). Of the eligible participants for whom we had caregiver burden data (N=447), average levels of burden for those that attended (ADL=3.99, IADL=2.49) and those that did not (ADL=3.05, IADL=2.20). Results from independent-sample t-tests show a significant difference (p<.001) in the average level of caregiver burden among eligible caregivers who did not attend the education program and caregivers who attended the education program. However, non-attendees had lower average levels of burden as measured by ADLs and IADLs, compared to the attendees. Findings suggest that a higher level of burden may encourage caregivers to attend an education program.