Associations of knowledge of Alzheimer’s disease and memory loss and employment status with burden in African American and Caucasian family caregivers

Dementia ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 847-860 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cathy B Scott ◽  
Olivio J Clay ◽  
Fayron Epps ◽  
Fawn A Cothran ◽  
Ishan C Williams
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
African American ◽  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Caregiver Burden ◽  
Family Caregiving ◽  
Employment Status ◽  
Memory Loss ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Convenience Sample

Caring for an individual living with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia is especially challenging and impacts every aspect of the lives of the family caregivers. Family caregiving is defined as informal, unpaid care provided by family or friends to people with a chronic illness or disability. Caregiver burden, often experienced by a caregiver for a cognitively impaired family member, is multifaceted involving physical, psychological, social, and emotional problems. To date, little has been done to examine the relationship between the knowledge of Alzheimer’s disease and memory loss and caregiver burden. To fill this gap, a cross sectional, correlational design was employed to collect data from a convenience sample ( N = 104) of African American and Caucasian dementia family caregivers. For this study, caregivers ranged from 25 to 89 years of age with African American caregivers possessing significantly lower levels of knowledge about Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias compared to Caucasian caregivers, p < .001. There were 44 caregivers who scored 41 or greater on the Caregiver Burden Inventory corresponding to moderate to severe and higher levels of burden. Results of hierarchical multiple regression models indicated that higher levels Alzheimer’s disease knowledge was significantly associated with lower caregiver burden for all caregivers, B = −0.294, p < .01. Additionally, employment status was significantly associated with caregiver burden. This study highlights the benefits of including disease specific knowledge within educational components of dementia related interventions and programs involving families.

scholarly journals Perceived stress and depressive symptoms not neuropsychiatric symptoms predict caregiver burden in Alzheimer’s disease: a cross-sectional study

2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Manee Pinyopornpanish ◽  
Kanokporn Pinyopornpanish ◽  
Atiwat Soontornpun ◽  
Surat Tanprawate ◽  
Angkana Nadsasarn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Caregiver Burden ◽  
Perceived Stress ◽  
Neuropsychiatric Symptoms ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Assessment Tools ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional

Abstract Background Caregiver burden affects the caregiver’s health and is related to the quality of care received by patients. This study aimed to determine the extent to which caregivers feel burdened when caring for patients with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) and to investigate the predictors for caregiving burden. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted. One hundred two caregivers of patients with AD at Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital, a tertiary care hospital, were recruited. Assessment tools included the perceived stress scale (stress), PHQ-9 (depressive symptoms), Zarit Burden Interview-12 (burden), Clinical Dementia Rating (disease severity), Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaires (neuropsychiatric symptoms), and Barthel Activities Daily Living Index (dependency). The mediation analysis model was used to determine any associations. Results A higher level of severity of neuropsychiatric symptoms (r = 0.37, p < 0.01), higher level of perceived stress (r = 0.57, p < 0.01), and higher level of depressive symptoms (r = 0.54, p < 0.01) were related to a higher level of caregiver burden. The direct effect of neuropsychiatric symptoms on caregiver burden was fully mediated by perceived stress and depressive symptoms (r = 0.13, p = 0.177), rendering an increase of 46% of variance in caregiver burden by this parallel mediation model. The significant indirect effect of neuropsychiatric symptoms by these two mediators was (r = 0.21, p = 0.001). Conclusion Caregiver burden is associated with patients’ neuropsychiatric symptoms indirectly through the caregiver’s depressive symptoms and perception of stress. Early detection and provision of appropriate interventions and skills to manage stress and depression could be useful in reducing and preventing caregiver burden.

Relative importance of patient disease indicators on informal care and caregiver burden in Alzheimer's disease

2010 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-85 ◽  
Author(s):  
Niklas Bergvall ◽  
Per Brinck ◽  
Daniel Eek ◽  
Anders Gustavsson ◽  
Anders Wimo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Informal Care ◽  
Caregiver Burden ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Behavioral Disturbances ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Disease Indicators ◽  
Zarit Burden Inventory

ABSTRACTBackground: Cognition, abilities in activities of daily living (ADL), and behavioral disturbances in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) all influence the number of hours informal caregivers spend caring for their patients, and the burden caregivers experience. However, the direct effect and relative importance of each disease severity measure remains unclear.Methods: Cross-sectional interviews were conducted with 1,222 AD patients and primary caregivers in Spain, Sweden, the U.K. and the U.S.A. Assessments included informal care hours, caregiver burden (Zarit Burden Inventory; ZBI), cognition (Mini-mental State Examination; MMSE), ADL-abilities (Disability Assessment for Dementia scale; DAD), and behavioral symptoms (Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire; NPI-severity).Results: Multivariate analyses of 866 community-dwelling patients revealed that ADL-ability was the strongest predictor of informal care hours (36% decrease in informal care hours per standard deviation (SD) increase in DAD scores). Severity of behavioral disturbances was the strongest predictor of caregiver burden (0.35 SD increase in ZBI score per SD increase in NPI-Q severity score). In addition, the effect of ADL-abilities was, although attenuated, not negligible (0.28 SD increase in ZBI score per SD increase in DAD score). Decreasing cognition (MMSE) was associated with more informal care hours and increased caregiver burden in univariate, but not in adjusted analyses.Conclusions: For patients residing in community dwellings, the direct influence of patients’ cognition on caregiver burden is limited and rather mediated by other disease indicators. Instead, the patients’ ADL-abilities are the main predictor of informal care hours, and both ADL-abilities and behavioral disturbances are important predictors of perceived caregiver burden, where the latter has the strongest effect. These results were consistent across Sweden, U.K. and the U.S.A.

End of Life Care and Reactions to Death in African-American and White Family Caregivers of Relatives with Alzheimer's Disease

2001 ◽  
Vol 43 (4) ◽  
pp. 349-361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason E. Owen ◽  
Kathryn T. Goode ◽  
William E. Haley
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
African American ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Ethnic Differences ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
The United States ◽  
Life Care ◽  
White Caregivers

Family caregivers for relatives with Alzheimer's Disease (AD) often experience significant stress-related problems in mental and physical health. Patients with AD often survive for protracted periods of time, placing an extensive burden of care on the caregiver prior to the patient's death. The present study addresses ethnic differences in the experience of AD caregivers around the time of their loved one's death, including life-sustaining treatment decisions and reactions to death. The results showed that, in our sample, more patients died in their homes than has been reported for deaths in the United States. African-American and White caregivers differed substantially in their reports of end of life care and subjective reactions to the death. Compared with White caregivers, African-American caregivers were less likely to make a decision to withhold treatment at the time of death, less likely to have their relative die in a nursing home, and reported less acceptance of the relative's death and greater perceived loss. Results suggest that death after AD caregiving deserves further study, and that ethnic differences in end of life care and bereavement may be of particular importance.

TEMPORALLY GRADED SEMANTIC MEMORY LOSS IN ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE: CROSS-SECTIONAL AND LONGITUDINAL STUDIES

2004 ◽  
Vol 21 (2-4) ◽  
pp. 353-378 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robyn Westmacott ◽  
Morris Freedman ◽  
Sandra E. Black ◽  
Kathryn A. Stokes ◽  
Morris Moscovitch
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Longitudinal Studies ◽  
Semantic Memory ◽  
Memory Loss ◽  
Cross Sectional

scholarly journals Emotional disorders evidenced by family caregivers of older people with Alzheimer’s disease

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-61
Author(s):  
Carlene Souza Silva Manzini ◽  
Francisco Assis Carvalho do Vale
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Family Member ◽  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Emotional Disorders ◽  
Care Quality ◽  
Depression Symptoms ◽  
Mild Depression ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Multiprofessional Team

ABSTRACT The task of caring for a family member with dementia is associated with caregiver physical and emotional problems. The patient’s decline in health and specific needs contribute directly to this situation. Objective: To evaluate burden, stress, depression and anxiety symptoms in family caregivers of elderly with Alzheimer’s disease. Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive, correlational and quantitative study was carried out. The sample consisted of 66 family caregivers of elderly with Alzheimer’s disease, whom attended the Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology Outpatient Clinic of the Federal University of São Carlos, in the city of São Carlos, SP, Brazil. Results: Of the caregivers evaluated in the severe AD subgroup, 47.3% had intense burden; 86, 4% exhibited significant stress levels; 57% presented severe anxiety levels and 36.9% presented mild depression symptoms. Conclusion: Caring for a family member with Alzheimer’s disease generates burden, stress, anxiety and depression. Support groups comprising a multiprofessional team can be set up to assist caregivers. These actions can help caregivers cope with the daily demands and challenges and ensure better care quality in an increasingly aging population.

scholarly journals Alzheimer’s Disease Caregiver Characteristics and Their Relationship with Anticipatory Grief

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (16) ◽  
pp. 8838
Author(s):  
Alba Pérez-González ◽  
Josep Vilajoana-Celaya ◽  
Joan Guàrdia-Olmos
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Depressive Symptomatology ◽  
Anticipatory Grief ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Sociodemographic Data ◽  
People With Dementia ◽  
Cross Sectional Design ◽  
Person With Dementia

In Alzheimer’s disease, two fundamental aspects become important for caregivers: ambiguity and ambivalence. Thus, anticipatory grief is considered an active psychological process that is very different from the mere anticipation of death. The present study aims to determine which characteristics of family caregivers of people with dementia, such as age, gender, educational level, relationship with the person with dementia, years with dementia or years as a caregiver, are related to the presence of anticipatory grief. A cross-sectional design was employed. The sample consisted of a total of 129 subjects who cared for a family member with dementia. A sociodemographic data sheet and a battery of tests measure the presence of anticipatory grief, caregiver burden and/or psychopathology. The results obtained allowed us to confirm some of the hypotheses regarding the anticipatory grief construct, the importance of the care time factor, in years and per day, as well as the relevance of the previous demographic and psychopathological profile (being female, spouse function and possible depressive symptomatology). Likewise, from the prediction analyzes performed, it seems that these variables can predict anticipatory grief. These results propose interesting opportunities to formulate care proposals to professionals and family caregivers in relation to care tasks and caregiver skills.

scholarly journals Risk Factors of Caregiver Burden Among Patients with Alzheimer's Disease or Related Disorders: A Cross-Sectional Study

2015 ◽  
Vol 44 (3) ◽  
pp. 907-916 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginie Dauphinot ◽  
Floriane Delphin-Combe ◽  
Christelle Mouchoux ◽  
Aline Dorey ◽  
Anthony Bathsavanis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
Caregiver Burden ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional

scholarly journals Family Caregiving and Depression among Older Adults in Japan: A Cross-Sectional Study during the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 809-810
Author(s):  
Taiji Noguchi ◽  
Takahiro Hayashi ◽  
Yuta Kubo ◽  
Naoki Tomiyama ◽  
Akira Ochi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
Family Caregivers ◽  
Caregiver Burden ◽  
Family Caregiving ◽  
Family Members ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Social Activities ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional

Abstract COVID-19 infections are particularly lethal in older adults; thus, social activities of older adults and their families in the community have been restricted. The threat of infection, restrictions on social activities, and limitations on the provision of care services for older adults could increase family caregivers’ burden and impact their mental health. This cross-sectional study examined the association between family caregiving and change in depression during the COVID-19 pandemic. In October 2020, we conducted a mailed questionnaire survey on a random sample of functionally independent community-dwelling older adults in a semi-urban area of Japan. Based on the depression status between March and October 2020, participants were classified into four groups: “consistently non-depressed,” “depression onset,” “recovering from depression,” and “remained depressed.” Participants were assessed for providing care for their family members or not. Caregiver participants were also assessed on their caregiving role (primary or secondary), the severity of their care-recipient’s needs, and an increased caregiver burden. Data from 957 older adults were analyzed. The participants’ mean age (SD) was 80.8 (4.8) years, and 53.5% were female. Multivariable multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed that family caregiving was associated with depression onset (OR=3.17 [95%CI=1.57-6.40], p=0.001) and remaining depressed (2.53 [1.36-4.71], p=0.004). Particularly, primary caregivers, those providing care for family members with severer care need-levels, and those with an increased caregiver burden had a higher risk of depression onset and remaining depressed. Family caregivers could have severe mental health conditions during the pandemic. Developing a support system is essential to protect their mental health.

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