Page 130 - GHES-2-1

Global Health Econ Sustain

ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLE
Homebound elderly with dementia and their

family caregivers: Examining the situation in Hong
Kong, Singapore, and Japan before COVID-19

Keiko Matsumoto *, Misae Ito , Daphne Sze-Ki Cheung , Siok Bee Tan ,
3
4
1
2
1
Shimpei Hayashi , and Masafumi Kirino 5
1 School of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Kagawa University Faculty of Medicine School of medicine,
Kagawa, Japan
2 Department of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Yamaguchi University Faculty of
Medicine and Health Sciences, Yamaguchi, Japan
3 Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Science, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong
Kong, China
4 Department of Nursing, Singapore General Hospital, Singapore, Republic of Singapore
5 Department of Contemporary Welfare Science, Faculty of Welfare Science, Okayama Prefectural
University, Okayama, Japan

Abstract
Academic editor:
Mihajlo Jakovljevic M.D. Ph.D. MAE This study aimed to clarify the status of problematic behaviors among elderly
*Corresponding author: patients with dementia at home and the associated burden on their family caregivers
Keiko Matsumoto in Japan, Hong Kong, and Singapore immediately before the COVID-19 pandemic.
(matsumoto.keiko@kagawa-u.ac.jp)
The study included 563 family caregivers of elderly patients with dementia
Citation: Matsumoto, K., living at home in these three regions. Information regarding their demographic
Ito, M., Cheung, D.S., Tan, S.B., characteristics, such as age, gender, education level, income, marital status, and
Hayashi, S, Kirino, M. (2024).
Homebound elderly with dementia family status, was obtained. The Revised Memory and Behavior Problems Checklist,
and their family caregivers: a 24-item scale for assessing problem behaviors, and the Zarit Burden Interview, a
Examining the situation in Hong 22-item scale for measuring caregiver burden, were used alongside other relevant
Kong, Singapore, and Japan before
COVID-19. Global Health Econ scales. The findings indicated that the majority of family caregivers were female
Sustain, 2(1): 1954. and in their 60s across all three regions, while elderly patients with dementia were
https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.1954 mostly female and living alone in their 80s. In addition, a significant proportion
Received: September 29, 2023 of these patients had comorbidities such as diabetes and other health conditions.
Accepted: December 20, 2023 In Japan, although the patients exhibited relatively intact physical function and
a low degree of dementia, the caregivers experienced high-stress levels. The
Published Online: March 4, 2024 demographic profiles of family caregivers of elderly patients with dementia at
Copyright: © 2024 Author(s). home in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Japan were remarkably similar, particularly
This is an Open Access article in terms of age and gender distribution. Furthermore, marital and employment
distributed under the terms of the
Creative Commons Attribution statuses were comparable between Hong Kong and Singapore. While the previous
License, permitting distribution, studies have taken a broad view of Asia, focusing on Hong Kong, Singapore, and
and reproduction in any medium, Japan in particular has facilitated the identification of clues for developing targeted
provided the original work is
properly cited. countermeasures.
Publisher’s Note: AccScience
Publishing remains neutral with Keywords: Elderly with dementia at home; Family caregivers; Hong Kong; Singapore;
regard to jurisdictional claims in
published maps and institutional Japan; Nursing care
affiliations.

Volume 2 Issue 1 (2024) 1 https://doi.org/10.36922/ghes.1954