Dataset Information

Activity Engagement Among Older Adult Spousal Caregivers.

ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVE:Spousal caregiving can have strong implications for health and wellbeing given the strain and burden associated with the role. Maintaining activity engagement is important for late-life health and wellbeing, and may be a possible contributing mechanism to caregiver health and wellbeing. This paper examined longitudinal changes in activity engagement and asks how spousal caregiving status and caregiver age related to longitudinal activity engagement in a sample of older adults. METHOD:Data from four waves of the Health and Retirement study were used to model associations between periods of being a spousal caregiver, age, and engagement in physical, social, self-care, passive, and novel information processing activities over a 6-year period. RESULTS:Caregiving status was associated with declines in physical activity engagement over time. Older age was associated with fewer physical and more self-care and passive activities. DISCUSSION:Caregivers' declines in participation in physical activities may be an important indicator for preservation of health and management of caregiving stress.

SUBMITTER: Queen TL

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6748708 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Activity Engagement Among Older Adult Spousal Caregivers.

Queen Tara L TL Butner Jonathan J Berg Cynthia A CA Smith Jacqui J

The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences 20190901 7

<h4>Objective</h4>Spousal caregiving can have strong implications for health and wellbeing given the strain and burden associated with the role. Maintaining activity engagement is important for late-life health and wellbeing, and may be a possible contributing mechanism to caregiver health and wellbeing. This paper examined longitudinal changes in activity engagement and asks how spousal caregiving status and caregiver age related to longitudinal activity engagement in a sample of older adults.< ...[more]

PMID: 28958018

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Project description:BackgroundAmong older couples, spouses are first in line to provide care, and they are key elements in the home support of dependent older persons. In this context, ensuring the health of these older spousal caregivers should be an important issue for all of the providers who care for older adults. The aim of this study was to longitudinally assess the health of older spousal caregivers considering frailty, nutrition, cognition, physical performance and mood disorders.MethodsIn this longitudinal, observational cohort study, participants were assessed at home in Wallonia, Belgium. At baseline, 82 community-dwelling spouses of older patients with cognitive deficits or functional impairment were assessed; 78 caregivers were assessed at follow-up (16?months). The clinical instruments used included Frailty Phenotype (Fried), the Mini Nutritional Assessment-short form (MNA-SF), Short Physical Performance Battery (SPPB), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-15), clock drawing test, medications, Zarit Burden Index (ZBI), and Caregiver Reaction Assessment (CRA). Biological assessments included plasma interleukin-6 (IL-6), ultrasensitive C-reactive protein (CRP), cortisol, albumin and insulin growth factor-1 (IGF-1).ResultsAmong caregivers, 54% were women, and the mean age was 80?years. Among care-receivers, 83% had cognitive impairment. Caregivers were more likely to be in a pre-frail stage. In one-third of the caregivers, the frailty status worsened. Transitions were observed between each of the states, except from frail to robust. In contrast to frailty, items including nutrition, cognitive status, SPPB and mood assessments were stable over time, with approximately 70% of the caregivers not experiencing significant change at follow-up. Caregiver experiences assessed with the Zarit Burden Interview and CRA were relatively stable over 16?months.ConclusionMany caregivers of geriatric patients are spouses who are old themselves. A failure in the health of the caregiver may anticipate an undesired care breakdown. Caregiver health and its determinants should be explored in future longitudinal studies that cover a longer time period.

Dataset Information

Activity Engagement Among Older Adult Spousal Caregivers.

Publications

Activity Engagement Among Older Adult Spousal Caregivers.

Similar Datasets

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