Cognitive functioning in spousal caregivers of dementia patients: findings from the prospective MAASBED study.
BACKGROUND
Spousal caregivers are usually of the same age as the dementia patient and therefore at risk of age-related cognitive decline. Suboptimal cognitive functioning in caregivers may have profound implications.


METHODS
Fifty-four spousal caregivers of dementia patients from the Memory Clinic of the Academic Hospital Maastricht and the Regional Institute for Community Mental Health Care in the Netherlands were compared with 108 non-caregiving controls. Data were collected on patient and caregiver characteristics and caregiver cognitive functioning. Repeated measures statistical analyses were carried out to investigate the relationship between caregiver cognitive functioning at baseline and patient behavioural problems and caregiver competence during 1 year of follow-up.


RESULTS
Caregivers performed significantly worse on several cognitive domains compared with control subjects. Low performance on a verbal memory task was related to a decrease in caregiver subjective competence and an increase in patient hyperactivity.


CONCLUSIONS
The results indicate that screening for cognitive impairment of spousal caregivers may be helpful, because suboptimal cognitive functioning may affect the ability to provide adequate care.
Department of Psychiatry and Neuropsychology, University of Maastricht, PO Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Marjolein E
ME
de Vugt
Jelle
J
Jolles
Liesbeth
L
van Osch
Fred
F
Stevens
Pauline
P
Aalten
Richel
R
Lousberg
Frans R J
FR
Verhey
D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology* / Q000592:standards; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003071:Cognition; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D003704:Dementia / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications