The

Montgomery
Borgatta
Caregiver Burden
Scale
CAREGIVING. . . . .
"There are only four kinds of people
in the world - those who have been
caregivers,
those who currently are caregivers,
those who will be caregivers,
and those who will need caregivers."
Former First Lady Rosalyn Carter
Burnout . . the complete
drain of our physical,
spiritual, and emotional
reserves, occurs when a
caregiver slips beyond
exhaustion or depression.
Source: The Comfort of Home, Maria M. Meyer with
Paula Derr, RN.
Family caregivers are more
frequently depressed (30%-90%),
anxious and more likely to use
psychotropic medications than the
rest of the population. General
practitioners, however, fail to
diagnose 30% - 50% of depression
cases, and even when they do
properly diagnose depression, they
often under treat it.

Source: Zarit, S., Zarit, J., and Zarit A.

Mental Disorders in Older Adults: Fundamentals of
Assessment and Treatment,@ New York: The Guilford Press
(1989). Goff, V.A. Depression: A Decade of Progress, More
to Do@ (Issue Brief No. 786) National Health Policy Forum,
George Washington University, Washington, DC (2002)
 Case
Management

... Help and assistance for seniors and those

w who care for them
 County of Erie
Department of Senior Services

Return to Nancy Schneider via mail, fax (858-6048) or e-mail.

CAREGIVER REFERRAL
A packet will be sent to the caregiver, including:
Letter of introduction with Case Manager’s Name and phone number
“Are You a Caregiver” brochure
“Tips For Caregivers“ brochure
Caregiver Burden Assessment and return envelope
Health Guide Record Book
Magnetic Pen

Caregiver Name: ___________________________________________

Street: __________________________________________________
City: Zip: ____________________
Client Name: ______________________________________________

[ ] Client has dementia - include additional brochure

[ ] Caregiver is a Long Distance Caregiver - include additional brochure

I have met or spoken to the Caregiver and they know the packet is in the mail.
[ ] Yes [ ] No

Case Manager I&R or Cluster Name

_________________________ ___________________________
 Caregiver Burden Assessment
Are you “burning out?” Answer these questions and receive helpful information.
Since you began caregiving, how has assisting or having contact with the person for whom you care
affected the following aspects of your life?
Do you have:
a lot less
a little less
the same
a little more
a lot more….

a lot a little the a little a lot

less less same more more

… time to yourself?
… stress in your relationship with your
relative?
… personal privacy?
… attempts by your relative to manipulate
y you?
… time to spend in recreational activities?
… unreasonable requests made of you by your
relative?
… tension in your life?
… vacation activities and trips?
… nervousness and depression concerning your
relationship with your relative?
… feelings that you are being taken advantage
o of by your relative?
… time to do your own work and daily chores?
… demands made by your relative that are
over and above what s/he needs?
… anxiety about things?
… time for friends and other relatives?

Score: OB = SB= DB=

( >23 – Services) ( >13.5 - Counseling) ( >15 - Info)
 SCORING SHEET
CAREGIVER BURDEN ASSESSMENT
Line up transparency with assessment page, record line score in last column, add pink,
blue and green categories separately and enter totals in corresponding Score Box.
Since you began caregiving, how has assisting or having contact with the person for whom you care
affected the following aspects of your life?
Do you have:
a lot less
a little less
the same
a little more
a lot more….

a lot a little the a little a lot

less less same more more Score
… time to yourself? 5 4 3 2 1
… stress in your relationship with your 1 2 3 4 5
relative?
… personal privacy? 5 4 3 2 1
… attempts by your relative to manipulate you? 1 2 3 4 5
… time to spend in recreational activities? 5 4 3 2 1
… unreasonable requests made of you by your 1 2 3 4 5
relative?
… tension in your life? 1 2 3 4 5
… vacation activities and trips? 5 4 3 2 1
… nervousness and depression concerning your 1 2 3 4 5
relationship with your relative?
… feelings that you are being taken advantage 1 2 3 4 5
of by your relative?
… time to do your own work and daily chores? 5 4 3 2 1
… demands made by your relative that are over 1 2 3 4 5
and above what s/he needs?
… anxiety about things? 1 2 3 4 5
… time for friends and other relatives? 5 4 3 2 1

Score Boxes: OB: SB: DB:

 Erie County Department of Senior Services
Caregiver Resource Center
95 Franklin St., Room 1301, Buffalo, NY 14202

Caregiver: __________________________________________________

Caregiver Burden Assessment

Scoring Sheet

Objective Burden: Is defined as how a caregiver feels that providing help and
assistance disrupts the caregiver’s own life. The caregiver is likely to benefit from
services that will lessen tasks or care responsibilities, such as in-home services or
adult day programs.
Scores range from 6 to 30. Scores above 23 could be viewed as quite high.

Score:___________

Subjective Stress Burden: Is the emotional impact of caregiving responsibilities on

the caregiver. A caregiver who is emotionally stressed may benefit from a support
group or individual counseling.
Scores range from 4 to 20. Scores above 13.5 could be viewed as quite high.

Score:___________

Subjective Demand Burden: Is defined as the extent to which the caregiver feels
care responsibilities are overly demanding. The caregiver who is most stressed
because he or she believes the demands made by the care recipient are
inappropriate or excessive, may best be helped by an opportunity to learn more
about the disease process, a care recipients true level of dependency and how much
help should be provided. Written information about the disease, including how
others cope, or talking with a professional - such as a counselor - can be good
sources of help.
Scores can range from 4 to 20. Scores above 15 could be viewed as quite high.

Score:____________
Objective
Burden…
disruption of the caregiver’s life

Measures:

• amount of personal privacy one

retains
• time available for recreational
activities
• restrictions on vacations and trips
amount of time available to do one’s
own work and daily chores
• amount of time for friends and
relatives
 What might help?

• home care
• adult day care
• friendly visiting
• home delivered meals
• assistive equipment
• PERS
SUBJECTIVE
STRESS
BURDEN…
the emotional impact of caregiving

Measures:
• stress in the relationship with the
c care recipient
• tension in the caregiver’s life
• nervousness and depression
rrelated to the relationship with the
ccare recipient
• anxiety
Research conducted at New York
University Medical School showed
that a program that combines
counseling and social support can
reduce the stress felt by
caregivers of Alzheimer patients
in response to their loved ones
behavior problems, even when such
behaviors increase in frequency
and severity.
Source: Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter
March 2004
 What might help?

• support groups
• professional counseling
SUBJECTIVE
DEMAND
BURDEN…
how the caregiver perceives care
responsibilities to be overly demanding

Measures:
• attempts by the care recipient to
manipulate the caregiver
• unreasonable requests of the
caregiver
• feelings by the caregiver of being
taken advantage of by the care
recipient
• demands made by the care recipient
that are over and above what is
needed
 What might help?

• learning more about the

ddisease process
• professional counseling
Erie County Department of
Senior Services
Caregiver Resource Center

Caregiver Burden Assessment

Created by:
Miriam R. Callahan
&
Lisa M. Rood
March 2004