Refining caregiver vulnerability for clinical practice: determinants of self-rated health in spousal dementia caregivers.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Caregivers of a family member with a chronic disability or illness such as dementia are at increased risk for chronic disease. There are many factors that contribute to dementia caregiver vulnerability and these factors can be challenging to assess in clinical settings. Self-rated health (SRH) is an independent measure of survival and physical health in the elderly. As an inclusive measure of health, SRH has been proposed as a reliable way to assess a patient's general health in primary care. Therefore, we sought to identify determinants of poor/fair SRH versus categories of at least good SRH in informal caregivers.

Methods

In a cross-sectional study, we examined 134 elderly (≥55 years) providing in-home care for a spouse with dementia who rated their own health w

SUBMITTER: von Kanel R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6343283 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature