Supporting Older People with Multimorbidity: Experiences of Caregiver Burden Among Paid Care Workers in Ireland

As the number of older people with multiple chronic health conditions increases, there is a growing recognition of the burden associated with management of these conditions, for both the person with multimorbidity (PwM) and their caregivers. Care support networks for older PwMs increasingly include paid healthcare assistants (HCAs), yet, there has been little examination of the challengees experienced by such care workers in supporting their clients.

The work of HCAs gets little recognition, despite the crucial role they play in supporting the most vulnerable in our communities. The current study aimed to explore the experiences of HCAs in Ireland, who support community-dwelling older people with multiple health conditions. The data presented here were collected as part of a wider requirements gathering study to inform the design of ProACT, a digital health ecosystem that aims to improve integration of care for older PwMs and members of their care network.