Caregiver Quality of Life in Alzheimer´s Disease

TARAGANO FE, ALLEGRI RF, SERRANO CM, SARASOLA D, LOÑ L.

Miami

Congreso; Meeting American Academy of Neurology 2005; 2005

American Academy of Neurology

Background: Alzheimer’s patients need assistance and supervision in their daily activities. Caregivers burden in Alzheimer Disease had been largely studied. Objective: to study predictors of carer burden in Alzheimer’s disease and to investigate the association between caregiver burden and caregiver health status. Participants: A sample of 82 probable Alzheimer’s disease patients (NINCDS-ADRDA criteria) (mean age 73.7+8.1 years, MMSE 18.3 +7) and their primary family carers (59.6+14.8 years old, 81.5% females) were assessed. Methods:  Cognitive, neuropsychiatric impairments and severity of dementia were assessed with Mini mental State Examination (MMSE), Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) and Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) respectively. We administered to family caregivers Zarit’s Burden Interview (ZBI), carer activity inventory (CAI) and 36 Item Short Form Health Survey (SF36). Results: Possitive neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPI r=0.482, p<0.001) were the best predictors of caregivers Burden. The burden correlated with carer general health (r=0.412, p<0.001) vitality (r=0.545, p<0.001) and mental health (r=-0.538, p<0.001) but not with physical function, role-physical (SF36). Conclusion: The burden of patients care falls mainly on family and relatives. The strain of care giving has been associated with adverse physiologic and psycho logic outcomes for both caregivers and AD sufferers. In our study, positive behavioral symptoms like hallucinations, delusions, agitation, anxiety, disinhibition, aberrant behavior and sleep disorders, predicted high level of burden which affected the caregivers’ overall health-related quality of life.