This study compares outcomes, based on gender, of caregivers of at home spouses with dementia. It also looks at how the premorbid relationship between caregiver and care recipient may serve as an indicator of the degree of burden associated with the onset of dementia.
“Caring for someone with dementia can be demanding, particularly for spouses living with the care recipient. The main goal of this study was to clarify differences in the experience of caregivers who were husbands and wives with respect to burden, health, healthy behaviors, presence of difficult care recipient behaviors, social supports, and the quality of the premorbid relationship. The results of this study support research demonstrating a difference between the caregiving experiences of women and men. It is becoming increasingly apparent that female gender is a marker that places them at increased risk of high burden and less support.”