The study conducted a survey of 46 primary caregivers who used outpatient rehabilitation services, and analyzed its results. The survey items were as follows: the basic attributes of primary caregivers, the state of care-giving, and the subjective sense of health and burden of care among primary caregivers.
The results of the analysis indicated that among the survey items, the factors for good subjective health among caregivers were being employed (p=.048), and not suffering from a disease that would require treatment (p=.003). Meanwhile, factors that caused a high sense of burden of care were the presence of dementia in the elderly family member receiving care (p=.003), and the pressure of a considerable financial burden on the caregiver (p=.034). The findings suggest that to improve the subjective sense of health among caregivers, it is necessary to provide them with an environment that satisfies their needs for both care-giving and employment, so that they can continue providing care in a physically and psychologically healthy condition. The findings also suggest that to reduce the burden of care in caregivers, it is necessary to minimize their financial hardships.