P-147: Impact of Alzheimer’s disease on the employment status of caregivers

Abstract

For caregivers of AD patients, evidence indicates that continued caregiver employment is related to a lower intensity of caregiving (fewer hours and lower task level); caregivers employed full-time performed 25 fewer hours of caregiving per week compared with caregivers not working full-time. Patient-related task levels and visits are lower among working caregivers in comparison with nonworking caregivers. In addition, functional deficits of the care recipient influence employment effects of the caregiver. For example, women who have a parent with functional impairments are more likely than other women to quit work or consider quitting work. In contrast, patients with fewer limitations in activities of daily living are more likely to be assisted by a working caregiver than by a nonworking caregiver. Characteristics of caregivers also have an influence on their employment status. Representative samples in the United States demonstrate that it is primarily women who assume responsibility for caregiving (estimates of 70% and greater). When employment effects among male and female caregivers were compared, women were found to be more likely to make employment changes. This caregiver-based survey will investigate the relationship between caregiving and employment-related changes in a large, diverse sample of caregivers with respect to intensity of caregiving, level of AD symptoms in the care recipient, and gender of the caregiver.