title: Health-related quality-of-life of care-givers as a predictor of nursing-home placement of patients with dementia.
abstract: Care-giver health-related quality-of-life (QoL) as a predictor of nursing-home placement of family-member patients with dementia was evaluated (using the SF-36 questionnaire) in 181 care providers (78% females; mean age 63 years) at the start and at the end of 12 months of follow-up. The patients and their carers were evaluated at home or at the local Primary Health-care Centers (n = 37) in the area of Barcelona (Catalunya, Spain). Data were evaluated using logistic regression analysis with nursing-home placement of patients as the main outcome measure, and the care-givers' QoL, demographic, medical, social and cognitive variables as covariates. The incidence rate of nursing-home placement was 10.5% (95%CI: 6.4-15.9). Carers of patients who had not been placed in a nursing home had better QoL scores, even after controlling for potential confounding factors. The adjusted odds ratio of being admitted to a nursing home was 6.4 (95%CI: 2.1-19.0) for patients cared-for by relatives who rated their health as being much worse compared with the previous year. The care-giver's poor health-related QoL significantly influenced rates of nursing-home admission of patients in their care.
authors.affiliation: Divisió d'avaluació, Servei Català de la Salut, Barcelona, Spain. jargimon@catsalut.net
authors.forename: Josep M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Argimon
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Limon
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Vila
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cabezas
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000451:nursing; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015161:Dementia, Multi-Infarct / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000451:nursing; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006701:Home Nursing / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009735:Nursing Homes; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010343:Patient Admission / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011594:Psychometrics; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013030:Spain