Prevalence and Impact of Caregiving: A Detailed Comparison Between Dementia and Nondementia Caregivers

Analyzing data from more than 1,500 family caregivers from the 1996 National Caregiver Survey, this study documents the ways in which dementia care is different from other types of family caregiving. Not only do dementia caregivers spend significantly more hours per week providing care than nondementia caregivers, they also report greater impacts in terms of employment complications, caregiver strain, mental and physical health problems, time for leisure and other family members, and family conflict. Differential impacts remain even after controlling for intensity of caregiving involvement and sociodemographic factors. Study findings suggest the need to tailor programs and services to the unique challenges faced by dementia caregivers.