Relationship of Human Capital Resources and Health Status With the Quality of Service Provided by Untrained Caregivers to Elderly in Qaemshahr: A Cross-sectional Study

Introduction: Informal caregiving is highly valued by most people in society. Nonetheless, it is considered an unpaid job that is often not given much attention, except in cases where care is not provided adequately. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between human capital resource variables and the outcomes of informal caregivers providing services to the elderly aged 65 and older. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive-correlation study was conducted on 360 elderly aged 65 and older, who had at least one chronic disease, and 194 caregivers. Sampling included a two-stage cluster classification. The data were collected through a questionnaire in the form of face-to-face interviews and analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression tests. Results: The response variable of the number of hours of assistance provided per week by the caregiver had the most significant relationship with the number of human capital resources, demographic variables, and health variables. Human capital resource variables included the elderly’s usefulness to the caregiver (P=0.03), the elderly having supplementary insurance (P=0.02), and the elderly being covered by insurance (P=0.01). Demographic variables were the elderly’s place of residence (P<0.001), the caregiver’s cohabitation with the elderly (P=0.02), and the caregiver’s age (P=0.02). Finally, health variables consisted of impairments in daily living activities with the help of tools (P=0.04) and the elderly’s cognitive impairment (P=0.004). Conclusion: Human capital resource variables had the most impact on the quantity of care, and demographic and health variables affected the elderly’s quality of life. Therefore, it is essential to take basic and infrastructural measures in designing and implementing support programs for the elderly and their families, who are considered primary caregivers.