Male caregivers of spouses with Alzheimer's disease: Risk factors and health status

Abstract

Caregiving for persons with Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been shown to pose a challenge to the health of the spousal caregiver. Because most of the caregiving literature focuses on the female caregiver, there is some question about the generalizability of such literature to the male caregiver. This report focuses on male caregivers of spouses with AD and represents a subsample from a larger descriptive study that examined the relationship between risk factors and the health status of spousal caregivers. Twenty-nine male caregivers affiliated with Alzheimer's organizations in Pennsylvania and Ontario, Canada, returned mail surveys. On average, physical health symptoms increased by one-third when comparing pre- and post-caregiving data. Caregivers also were experiencing moderate to severe depression and burden. Male caregivers generally rated their physical health as fair to excellent and exhibited fewer than expected physical health symptoms. Caregiver health was related to perceptions of stress surrounding the provision of activities of daily living (ADL) assistance, the frequency of behavioral problems, perceptions of stress associated with the AD spouse's dysfunctional behaviors, and satisfaction with leisure opportunities. The identification of the role that caregiver perceptions of stressfulness associated with caregiving and the need for leisure satisfaction offer important implications for community-based education and respite services to maintain health status for spousal caregivers.

Living with a person with Alzheimer's disease: Experiences related to everyday occupations

“…Most people with dementia remain at home supported by their relatives (23,24). The burden of care can threaten the health of the spousal caregiver (25) and even be an independent risk factor for mortality (26). The importance of conducting research on in-depth experiences of caring for a family member with AD has been stressed and extensive research has been conducted in order to increase the knowledge concerning stress, major strain, burden, and coping strategies among spousal caregivers (27,28).…”

Effects of gender and dementia severity on Alzheimer’s disease caregivers’ sleep and biomarkers of coagulation and inflammation

“…For male caregivers, the frequency of their spouse’s behavioral dysfunction predicts their number of physical symptoms, as well as their overall perceptions of stressfulness associated with caregiving (Shanks-McElroy and Strobino, 2001). …”

‘I Was Trapped at Home’: Men's Experiences with Leisure While Giving Care to Partners During a Breast Cancer Experience

“…Men who were not able to identify meaningful alternate activities described leisure experiences that were unsatisfying, experiencing boredom and using leisure to fill or pass time (Watkins & Bond, 2007). Leisure activities offer a self-protective function by distracting and allowing for distance or escape from unpleasant events (Kleiber et al, 2002); however, if those leisure activities are not satisfying, the potential for leisure to positively affect health or sense of caregiver stress may not be realized (Shanks-McElroy & Strobino, 2001).…”

“…Caregivers' satisfaction with their leisure can also be a significant predictor of their subjective health ratings, physical symptoms, and burden suggesting the importance of leisure in maximizing caregiver health (Shanks-McElroy & Strobino, 2001). When caregivers "expressive activities" (e.g., sports and recreation, visiting friends, working on hobbies, and maintaining friendships) were restricted, they experienced greater depression and physical symptoms than those whose activities were not restricted (Loucks-Atkinson, Kleiber, & Williamson, 2006).…”