Abstract
BackgroundAlzheimer’s disease and related disorders (ADRD) are some of the leading causes of morbidity in developed nations. Unpaid family caregivers are primarily responsible for providing the care and support needed by persons with ADRD. In the process of caring for their loved ones with ADRD, caregivers often have to deal with multiple challenges, including their own deteriorating well-being and overall quality-of-life (QoL). A recent systematic review showed that very little research has been undertaken to study the relationship between AD caregiver QoL and the level or quality of care that caregivers provide to their loved ones. In this study, we investigate the relationships between caregiver well-being and the care provided to persons with ADRD.MethodsWe used 12-month follow-up data from the Philadelphia site (n = 125) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) multi-site study, Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer’s Caregiver Health (REACH I) to examine the relationship between caregiver well-being and the level or quality of care provided while adjusting for important covariates (e.g., age, income, and years since caregiving). Caregivers who participated in REACH I had to be at least 21 years of age and they had to be providing at least 4 h of care per day for 6 months or more to a live-in loved one with ADRD. Linear regression analysis was used to examine the relationships between well-being and the level or quality of care provided to persons with ADRD.ResultsOf the 255 caregivers who participated in the REACH I study, 125 (49.0 %) remained after 12 months of follow-up. Comparisons of participants at the 12-month follow-up and participants who were lost to follow-up showed that these two sets of participants were not statistically significantly different on any of the variables examined in this study. Linear regression analysis showed that there was no statistically significant association between caregiver well-being and level or quality of care provided.ConclusionsFurther research is required to investigate the factors associated with level and quality of care provided to persons with ADRD, and whether caregiver well-being (or QoL in general) is a contributor.
Highlights
Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders (ADRD) are some of the leading causes of morbidity in developed nations
If the results of the analyses show that caregiver wellbeing is related to the level or quality of care provided, additional resources could be targeted toward improving caregiver well-being as a means of enhancing the level or quality of care provided to persons with ADRD
Caregivers who participated in Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer’s Caregiver Health (REACH I) had to be at least 21 years of age and they had to be providing at least 4 h of care per day for 6 months or more to a livein loved one with ADRD
Summary
Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders (ADRD) are some of the leading causes of morbidity in developed nations. A recent systematic review showed that very little research has been undertaken to study the relationship between AD caregiver QoL and the level or quality of care that caregivers provide to their loved ones. We investigate the relationships between caregiver well-being and the care provided to persons with ADRD. ADRD are some of the leading causes of morbidity in North America, especially among people aged 65 years. The authors estimated that about 40 million people worldwide are currently living with ADRD, with these numbers expected to double every 20 years [2]
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