NTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE IS A serious public threat that is exacerbated by the gradual withdrawal of the pharmaceutical industry from new antimicrobial agent development. 1 Overuse of antimicrobial agents fosters the spread of antimicrobial-resistant organisms. 2,3 Despite recent trends that demonstrate reduced outpatient use of antimicrobial agents, prescribing continues to significantly exceed prudent levels. 4-8 Approximately 50% of courses of ambulatory antimicrobial drugs are prescribed for patients with viral respiratory infections and therefore are not clinically indicated. 9-12 Behavioral facilitators of antimicrobial overuse and barriers to prudent use operate on both clinicians and patients. 13-16 Patient demand, perceived or actual, creates chal-See also pp 2315 and 2354.

This study demonstrates the feasibility and acceptability of using a variety of modalities to deliver caregiver support to a group of largely older, rural, spousal caregivers of veterans with dementia. The potential for reducing isolation for caregivers capable of receiving this intervention through the Internet is a promising finding.

The literature examining issues of caregiver stress, burden,or depression has focused on the stress-process model of caregiving, which posits that there are characteristics inherent in dementia and in the course of caregiving for a person with dementia that can cause stress in the caregiver's life. A more recent literature has emerged that argues that issues of loss and grief play a significant role ina caregiver's ability to cope with the stressors of caregiving. This article reviews the caregiver stress and grief literatures,and proposes a conceptual model of dementia caregiving that outlines pathways of stress and grief in dementia caregiving. Issues specific to caregiver grief are proposed for future research and intervention design.