Name
#41 - Assessment of Military Caregiver Burden and Needs
Date & Time
Monday, February 12, 2024, 12:00 PM - 7:00 PM
Description

Background: An estimated 5.5 million military caregivers in the U.S. play a vital role in the recovery, rehabilitation, and reintegration of wounded, ill, and injured Soldiers. Often at the expense of their own livelihoods, these caregivers provide unpaid assistance to Soldiers’ daily living activities, which can impose a heavy mental, emotional, and physical burden. Military caregivers face unique challenges compared to the general caregiving population, so it is critical to understand their burden, health, and resource needs. Methods: The Defense Centers of Public Health – Aberdeen (formerly the U.S. Army Public Health Center) administered a 44-item cross-sectional questionnaire to military caregivers to understand the level of burden associated with caregiver support, the health status of the military caregiver population, the services used or needed to provide caregiver support, and the need for caregiver support training. Between May 2018 and May 2019, data were collected from 106 military caregivers for Active Duty/Reserve Soldiers at four Army installations. Results: The majority of military caregivers (71%) were a spouse who provided physical and emotional support for daily living activities for an Active Duty or Reserve Soldier. Most caregivers shared caring for a Soldier with post-traumatic stress disorder (72%) and reportedly supported their care recipient seven days per week (79%). This support included general and specific assistance related to Soldiers’ social, economic, or spiritual activities. Caregivers reported that their caregiving responsibilities nearly always or quite frequently impacted their ability to work (44%), and more than half of caregivers indicated dependence on them by their care recipient (56%). Despite the potential burden of caregiving, the majority of caregivers (72%) shared rarely or never feeling animosity towards their care recipient. Most caregivers (77%) reportedly used at least one existing program or service to provide caregiving support, and TRICARE was the most frequently selected service. Caregivers also indicated a need for additional training and education on effective caregiving and identified online webinars and tutorials as the preferred method of training. Conclusions and recommendations: Military caregivers reported investing substantial time and resources to provide care for their Service member. Nonetheless, most did not feel animosity or resentment in doing so. Caregivers used existing resources and expressed interest in additional training and support, particularly if offered online. The recently developed Defense Health Agency electronic Caregiver Resource Directory contains over 2,000 caregiver resources that may be accessed from any mobile device and is one example of a supportive resource for caregivers that can be socialized among this population. The DoD can also meet caregivers’ needs identified in this questionnaire by developing training materials that focus on emotional support and information about the care recipient’s condition, as well as establishing a community to provide social support for military caregivers. Caregivers play a vital role within the Military Health System; therefore, it is crucial that we care for them as well.

Location Name
Prince Georges Exhibit Hall A/B
Content Presented on Behalf of
DHA
Learning Outcomes
1.Describe an assessment of military caregiver burden and needs at four Army installations.
2.Describe the unique challenges military caregivers face compared to the general caregiving population.
3.Identify at least three assessment findings that may warrant action to improve military caregiver services and resources.
Session Type
Posters
Dropdown Content Presented On Behalf Of:
DHA