Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia: the complex relationship between diagnosis and caregiver burden.
The purpose of this study was to determine whether patient dementia diagnostic type (Alzheimer's Disease/Vascular Dementia) is associated with caregiver burden. A retrospective case review was conducted of patient and caregiver information collected at a university-based dementia clinic. Results showed that primary dementia diagnosis was not associated with burden. Rather, psychotic symptoms paired with poor IADL functioning generated the most burden, while cognitive dysfunction did not significantly influence burden. Additionally, caregiver gender (female), depressive symptoms, and being an adult child of the care recipient were associated with increased caregiver burden. Findings advocate for including tailored designs in caregiver interventions.
Yeager
Catherine A
CA
Essex County Hospital Center, Institute for Mental Health Policy, Research, and Treatment, Cedar Grove, NJ 07009, USA. cyeager@health.essexcountynj.org
Hyer
Lee A
LA
Hobbs
Brian
B
Coyne
Andrew C
AC
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D032721:Adult Children / Q000523:psychology; D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017281:Cost of Illness; D015140:Dementia, Vascular / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008609:Mental Status Schedule; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009515:New Jersey; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors