The impact of a caregiver educational intervention on improving the quality of life of caregivers of community-dwelling activity-limited older adults in Sri Lanka: a quasi-experimental study

This study explored the impact of a caregiver educational intervention on improving the quality of life (QoL) of caregivers of community-dwelling activity-limited older adults. This non-randomized, controlled quasi-experimental study with geographically defined groups was conducted in two selected secretariat divisions of the Colombo District in the Western Province of Sri Lanka. The sample of caregivers (N = 72) for the intervention (n = 36) and control (n = 36) groups was selected depending on the highest degree of activity limitations in older adults. The need-based educational intervention delivered to the intervention group consisted of 2–4 sessions (two weeks apart) with live demonstrations. The QoL of both groups was assessed with the Sinhala-validated WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire before and 6 months after the intervention. Data were analyzed by SPSS 20 using Mann–Whitney U and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests to compare mean scores. The mean±SD age of the caregivers was 55.75±12.9 years; the majority were female (80.6%, n = 58), 44.4% (n = 32) were unknown to have a chronic disease, while 26.4% (n = 32) and 27.8% (n = 19) reported having 2 and 3 chronic diseases, respectively. Many caregivers (77.8%, n = 56) perceived their health as satisfactory. Six months after the educational intervention, scores had significantly higher ratings in the overall QoL (61.97±10.33 vs. 51.61±10.99), physical health (68.55±12.39 vs. 54.76±11.32), psychological (69.21±12.04 vs. 54.86±11.89) and social relationships domains (46.06 ±16.72 vs. 34.49 ±17.94) in the intervention group compared to controls (p < 0.01). No significant change was observed in the environmental domain (64.06±12.21 vs. 62.33±11.45; p > 0.05) between the two groups. Pre- vs. post-intervention scores of the overall and the four domains of QoL showed a significant increase in the intervention group (p < 0.001), whereas scores of overall QoL and all three domains except the environmental domain showed a significant decline (P < 0.001) after 6 months when compared to pre-6 months values in the control group. The caregiver educational intervention positively changes the QoL of caregivers of activity-limited older adults. The involvement of healthcare professionals in caregiver education will improve the QoL of caregivers through knowledge enhancement.