# Impacts of ESOGER home-based care and health services on spousal caregivers' anxiety, quality of life and burden: Findings from a pilot randomized controlled trial

## TL;DR

A home-based care program called ESOGER reduced anxiety and burden in spousal caregivers of ill older adults over three months.

## Contribution

This pilot RCT demonstrates ESOGER's effectiveness in improving caregivers' mental health and quality of life.

## Key findings

- Anxiety decreased significantly in the intervention group over three months.
- Caregivers in the ESOGER group experienced lower burden and improved quality of life.
- Control group caregivers showed increased anxiety and burden, and decreased quality of life.

## Abstract

Spousal caregivers of ill older adults face increasing risks of deteriorating mental health and burden. “Socio-Geriatric Evaluation” (ESOGER) is home-based care and health services for ill older adults. This study aimed to examine changes in anxiety, quality of life and burden over a 3-month period in spousal caregivers of ill older adults who benefits from ESOGER home health care and support services.

A randomized controlled trial (RCT) with two parallel arms enrolled 42 spousal caregivers distributed equally between the intervention group and the control group. The intervention consisted of ESOGER, a telehealth-based home care program that evaluates older adults’ health and social needs and provides personalized recommendations and referrals to health and community services to ill spouses, implemented through the Canadian Red Cross. Spousal caregivers were assessed at baseline (M0) and at three months (M3). Anxiety was evaluated using a visual analogue scale (VAS) ranging from 0 (no anxiety) to 10 (severe anxiety) and the EuroQol-5D assessed quality of life using. Burden was measured using the 4-item Zarit scale.

Anxiety (P < 0.001) and burden (P = 0.003) increased significantly, and the quality of life decreased (P = 0.018) in the control group at M3 compared to M0. In the intervention group anxiety decreased significantly (P < 0.001) over the 3-months follow-up. Only burden was significantly lower in the intervention group compared to the control group (P = 0.022) at M3. The changes in scores of the 4-item Zarit scale between M0 and M3 (P = 0.011) and of the EQ-5D visual analogue scale (P = 0.024) were significantly different between groups, showing an improvement in the intervention group.

This study highlights the positive impact of ESOGER home-based care on spousal caregivers, showing reduced anxiety and burden while improving quality of life. These findings underscore the importance of structured home care services in supporting caregivers' well-being and sustaining home-based care for older adults.