Development and Validation of Caregiver Risk Evaluation (CaRE): A New Algorithm to Screen for Caregiver Burden

Objective: The main objective was to develop a decision-support tool to assess the risk of caregiver burden, the Caregiver Risk Evaluation (CaRE) algorithm. Methods: Home care clients were assessed using the Resident Assessment Instrument for Home Care (RAI-HC). Their caregiver completed the 12-item Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI), the main dependent measure, which was linked to the RAI-HC. Results: In the sample (n = 344), 48% were aged 85+ years and 61.6% were female. The algorithm can be collapsed into four categories (low, moderate, high, and very high risk). Relative to the low-risk group, clients in the very high-risk group had an odds ratio of 5.16 (95% confidence interval: [2.05, 12.9]) for long-term care admission, after adjusting for client age, sex, and regional health authority. Discussion: The CaRE algorithm represents a new tool to be used by home care clinicians as they proactively plan for the needs of clients and their caregivers.