title: Health trajectories of family caregivers: associations with care transitions and adult day service use.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The study examines family caregivers' health changes over 1 year on four health dimensions and explores the association of differential health trajectories with adult day service (ADS) use and caregiving transitions.
  
  
  METHODS
  The participants were 153 primary caregivers of individuals with dementia (IWDs) who provided information on care situations and their own health at baseline, 6-month, and 12-month interviews.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Caregivers showed increasing functional limitations and decreasing bodily pain over time, whereas role limitation and general health perception remained stable. Furthermore, caregivers' trajectories of functional limitation were associated with their extent of ADS use at baseline and their relatives' placement.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Health is multidimensional; all dimensions of caregiver health do not change in a uniform manner. The findings underscore the importance of the association of caregiving transitions and caregiver health and the potential health benefits of ADS use for family caregivers.
authors.affiliation: The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, USA yul183@psu.edu.
authors.forename: Yin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: The University of Texas at Austin, USA.
authors.forename: Kyungmin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, USA.
authors.forename: Steven H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Zarit
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003631:Day Care, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D003704:Dementia / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D059026:Diagnostic Self Evaluation; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010146:Pain; D012380:Role; D013315:Stress, Psychological
keywords: adult day service; caregiver transition; caregivers; dementia; health