Factors influencing the occupational situation of people with terminally-ill relatives in Germany – Results of the EPACS-Study

Escobar Pinzon, Luis Carlos

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Ground Floor (Cancun Center)

Luis Carlos Escobar Pinzon, Institute of Occupational, Social And Environmental Medicine, University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz, Maniz, Germany

Matthias Claus, Institute of Occupational, Social And Environmental Medicine, University Medical Center Of The Johannes Gutenberg University Of Mainz, Mainz, Germany

Kisrten Isabel Zepf, Institute of Occupational, Social And Environmental Medicine, University Medical Center Of The Johannes Gutenberg University Of Mainz, Mainz, Germany

Letzel Stephan, Institute of Occupational, Social And Environmental Medicine, University Medical Center Of The Johannes Gutenberg University Of Mainz, Mainz, Germany

Martin Weber, Interdisciplinary Palliative Care Unit, University Medical Center Of The Johannes Gutenberg University Of Mainz, Mainz, Germany

Handouts

ICOH 1012_Escobar et al._Poster_final.pdf (311.5 kB)

Introduction
Knowledge about the occupational situation of persons with terminally-ill relatives may be very useful for the planning of public health strategies to facilitate the balancing act between informal care and work. With this article we sought to identify factors which influence the occupational situation of people with terminally-ill relatives in Germany.

Methods
The cross-sectional survey was based on a random sample of 5,000 deceased inhabitants of Rhineland-Palatinate (Germany) that had died between May 25 and August 24, 2008. Relatives of these randomly drawn deceased persons were interviewed by means of a written survey. Respondents older than the statutory retirement age of 65 years were excluded from our analyses. In a multiple logistic regression analysis, we estimated influencing factors on working (=1) versus not-working (=0) in the last four weeks prior to the relatives’ death.

Results
After removing duplicates, 4,967 questionnaires were sent out, 3,832 delivered, and 1,378 completed, yielding a response rate of 36.0%. Of the 898 respondents who were younger than 65 years, 36.9% worked full-time, 26.0% part-time, and 36.2% did not work at all (1.0% Missing). Multiple logistic regression showed that the probability to work full-/half-time in the last four weeks prior to the relatives’ death was significantly higher when people were male (aOR:2.00;95%-CI:1.37-2.90), and highly (aOR:2.12;95%-CI:1.41-3.18) or averagely (aOR:1.59;95%-CI:1.05-2.43) educated. On the contrary, the probability was significantly lower with increasing age (aOR:0.92;95%-CI: 0.90-0.94), when living together with the dying person in one common household (aOR: 0.53;95%-CI:0.38-0.75), and when having a level of care II (aOR:0.55;95%-CI:0.35-0.85), or level of care III (aOR:0.43;95%-CI:0.26-0.71).

Discussion
Flexible work schedules and other workplace prevention measures to relieve the relatives are urgently needed. Furthermore, available ambulant palliative care teams should be increased to further reduce the burden of care born by the relatives, and to facilitate the performing of a professional activity.

A1253 Factors influencing the occupational situation of people with terminally-ill relatives in Germany – Results of the EPACS-Study