Effectiveness of a Telehomecare Program on Quality of Life of Homebound and Bedridden Elderly and Caregiver Stress in Phakhao Sub-district, Phakhao district, Loei Province
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
Thailand is rapidly becoming an aged society, increasing the number of homebound and bedridden older adults, particularly in rural areas with limited access to healthcare, where family caregivers face substantial burden and stress. Telehomecare may improve healthcare access and quality of life while reducing caregiver stress.
To compare the effectiveness of a Telehomecare Program on quality of life of homebound and bedridden elderly (WHOQOL-OLD) and caregiver stress (ST-5), and to assess caregiver satisfaction.
A quasi-experimental two-group pretest-posttest design enrolled 58 homebound and bedridden elderly (ADL < 11) and 58 caregivers, allocated to intervention (n = 29) and control (n = 29) groups by probability proportional to size sampling. The intervention group received an 8-week Telehomecare Program via the LINE application; the control group received standard care. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, paired t-tests, and independent t-tests.
After the intervention, overall quality of life among elderly increased from 2.03 ± 0.99 to 3.13 ± 0.31 (t = -10.062, p < .001, d = 1.868) and exceeded the control group (3.13 vs 1.92, t = -23.416, p < .001). Caregiver stress decreased from 3.48 ± 0.63 to 2.54 ± 0.60 (t = 9.639,
p < .001, d = -1.790). Social Participation improved most (d = 3.182), followed by Death and Dying (d = 2.350); Sensory Abilities improved least (d = 0.490). Caregiver satisfaction was high (M = 4.302, SD = 0.831).
The Telehomecare Program significantly improved quality of life among homebound and bedridden elderly and reduced caregiver stress, supporting its integration into primary and community-based elderly care, particularly in rural settings.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
This article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which allows others to share the article with proper attribution to the authors and prohibits commercial use or modification. For any other reuse or republication, permission from the journal and the authors is required.References
กรมกิจการผู้สูงอายุ. (2566). สถานการณ์ผู้สูงอายุไทย พ.ศ. 2566. กระทรวงการพัฒนาสังคมและความมั่นคงของมนุษย์.
จริญญา โคตรชนะ. (2566). บริการสุขภาพทางไกลต่อความเครียดและความรู้สึกเป็นภาระของผู้ดูแลผู้สูงอายุติดบ้านติดเตียง. วารสารสุขภาพและการพยาบาล มหาวิทยาลัยอุบลราชธานี, 2(2).
Honeyman, M., Maguire, D., Evans, H., & Davies, A. (2020). Digital technology and health inequalities: A scoping review. The King's Fund.
Kangwanrattanakul, K. (2025). Validation of the Thai World Health Organization Quality of Life-OLD (WHOQOL-OLD) among Thai older adults: Rasch analysis. Scientific Reports, 15(1), Article 12978. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-97824-4
Kruse, C. S., Heinemann, K., Phillips, E., Lemos, K., Vela, J., & Brooks, M. (2022). Telehealth and patient satisfaction: A systematic review and narrative analysis. BMJ Open, 12(4), Article e059951. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-059951
Li, X., Zhang, Y., & Chen, H. (2024). Factors influencing telehealth acceptance among older adults in rural communities. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare, 30(2), 115–124.
Martinez, R., Johnson, P., & Clark, S. (2023). Effectiveness of telehomecare on caregiver burden and elderly quality of life: A systematic review. BMC Geriatrics, 23(1), Article 245.
Pinquart, M., & Sörensen, S. (2003). Differences between caregivers and noncaregivers in psychological health and physical health: A meta-analysis. Psychology and Aging, 18(2), 250–267. https://doi.org/10.1037/0882-7974.18.2.250
Possin, K. L., Merrilees, J. J., Dulaney, S., Bonasera, S. J., Chiong, W., Lee, K., Hooper, S. M., Allen, I. E., Braley, T., Bernstein, A., Dela Cruz, T., Kornak, J., & Miller, B. L. (2019). Effect of collaborative dementia care via telephone and internet on quality of life, caregiver well-being, and health care use: The Care Ecosystem randomized clinical trial. JAMA Internal Medicine, 179(12), 1658–1667. https://doi.org/10.1001/ jamainternmed.2019.4101
Thanakit, S. (2024). Effectiveness of integrated quality of life promotion program through peer support on well-being of older adults in semi-urban communities of Northern Thailand: A randomized controlled trial [Doctoral dissertation, Chiang Mai University].
Onseng, P., Jiraporncharoen, W., Moonkayaow, S., Veerasirikul, P., Wiwatkunupakarn, N., Angkurawaranon, C., & Pinyopornpanish, K. (2024). Expectation, attitude, and barriers to receiving telehomecare among caregivers of homebound or bedridden older adults: Qualitative study. JMIR Aging, 7, Article e48132. https://doi.org/10.2196/48132
World Health Organization. (2022). Ageing and health. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ageing-and-health
