Grant: Fellowship - PA: Gender, Work and Health

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Parkinson's disease (PD) are chronic, progressive and result in constant care. AD presents as cognitive decline, PD is identified by motor impairment and PD associated dementia (PDD) results in combined motor-cognitive dysfunction. Dementia caregivers suffer from higher stress than other groups. Despite this, unique challenges associated with different caregiver groups have yet to be compared. Objective: understand unique contribution of cognitive decline (AD), motor impairment (PD) and combined motor-cognitive dysfunction (PDD) on caregiver well-being. Evaluation of life-satisfaction and depression will determine well-being in 3 spouse-caregiver groups. Burden, coping and gender differences will be examined. Caregiving stress is associated with worse well-being. We expect this study will show how combined cognitive-motor dysfunction influences worse caregiver well-being than declining cognition or motor impairment alone. Dementia affects 4% of older adults, with 5-million new cases/year. The growing burden of dementia care presents unique challenges for healthcare. The bulk of this burden falls on spouse-caregivers, emphasizing research needs to focus on how to best support this group. Care-for-caregivers has increased in recent years, yet how unique symptoms impact their well-being still needs to be addressed. Current research shows stress, burden and poor health in dementia caregivers. This study will contribute novel research by comparing well-being related to specific cognitive and/or motor symptoms in 3 caregiver groups. These findings will advance knowledge by identifying symptom-specific predictors of caregiver burden, health and well-being. Understanding symptom-specific predictors of well-being will inform resources that improve caregiver support and quality of life, even as dementia progresses. By sustaining dementia caregivers and ensuring their burden is reduced we improve quality of life of both caregivers and receivers.