Open AccessModalities and costs of familiar and social support to chronically ill patients
Author(s) -
Michele Petrinco,
Silvia Snidero,
Miriam Totis,
Mario Casini,
Anus̆ka Ferligoj,
Patrizia Rozbowsky,
Darío Gregori
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
metodološki zvezki
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.127
H-Index - 7
eISSN - 1854-0031
pISSN - 1854-0023
DOI - 10.51936/rphv3407
Subject(s) - modalities , sample (material) , social support , medicine , treatment modality , social network (sociolinguistics) , psychology , gerontology , family medicine , social psychology , computer science , social science , chemistry , surgery , chromatography , sociology , world wide web , social media
The main objective of this study was to quantify the characteristics of social networks in a sample of elderly ill patients. These patients who had chronic illness were receiving home based care, in an Italian district during 2001. Both patients and caregivers were interviewed. The analysis of the caregivers' questionnaire was conducted to avoid missing answers when gathered from the patients. This method also enabled a better understanding of the impact of social support on chronic illness pathologies. Further more, it allowed the investigation of the patients' network, the caregivers' point of view, the costs, the quality of care and the assessment of sociodemographical data of both. Results highlighted the particular situation of patients, characterized by high dependence from other persons especially for every day activities. Most of the caregivers were family members for the number of persons involved and for the time spent for the care. The network support maintenance and mobilization costs evaluation was faced suggesting three different strategies, according to three different ways of time-opportunity calculation, of the informal caregivers.