Assessment and Mitigation of Caregiver Burden in a Movement Disorder Clinic

TL;DR

This study explores how to assess and reduce caregiver burden in a movement disorder clinic using a social work intervention.

Contribution

The study introduces a practical approach to assess and address caregiver burden in a real-world clinical setting.

Findings

A small percentage of caregivers completed follow-up assessments, indicating challenges in measuring post-intervention outcomes.

Most caregivers who engaged with social workers reported improved burden levels.

Common sources of caregiver burden included mental health and financial concerns.

Abstract

Finding ways to assess and mitigate caregiver burden in real life clinical settings is a challenge. Using a pre-post test design in a quality improvement project, we aimed to assess the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a social work intervention to reduce caregiver burden. From June 2023 to May 2024, caregiver burden was assessed using the Zarit Caregiver Burden Inventory on family caregivers who accompanied patients to a movement disorders clinic visit. Caregivers who scored above 30 on the Zarit were referred to a social worker who completed a structured needs assessment and resource referrals. The Zarit was measured again 2 months post social work referral. Burden was assessed among 405 caregivers at baseline, and only 3.5% (n = 14) caregivers completed a two-week assessment. Out of the caregivers who reported higher burden (n = 106, 30.1%), 69.8% (n = 74) were contacted by social work, and 44.3% (n = 47) completed a social work visit. The most common sources of caregiver burden were: mental health (n = 25, 29.8%), and financial concerns (25.5%). Of the caregivers who completed a 2-week Zarit, 42.9% (n = 6) reported an improvement in caregiver burden. The low follow up rate highlights the challenges of measuring post-intervention scores in a real-life clinic setting. Nevertheless, results indicate caregivers were willing to engage with social workers to discuss their burden and come up with a plan to address burden. Future projects need to more systematically assess burden post-intervention and determine ways to measure engagement with community resources after social work visits occur.