Rick Greene

Respite for Dementia Caregivers: The Effects of Adult Day Service Use on Caregiving Hours and Care Demands

The objective of this study was to determine whether adult day service use was related to decreases in primary caregiving hours (i.e., the time caregivers spent on activities of daily living/instrumental activities of daily living and behavior problems for care recipients) and care recipient function for these domains. Three-month longitudinal data from the Adult Day Care Collaborative Study (N = 400) were used. Adult day service users reported greater decreases in hours spent on behavior problems when compared to nonusers, even after controlling for baseline differences between the two groups. In addition, adult day service users reported decreased frequency of behavior problems in their relatives who attended adult day programs. The findings suggest that adult day services, if used over time, are effective in restructuring caregiving time and may offer potential benefits not only to family caregivers but to community-residing older adults who have dementia as well.

Patterns of adult day service use by family caregivers: A comparison of brief versus sustained use.

Low service use by family caregivers of dementia patients was examined by comparing brief and sustained users of Adult Day Services (ADS). Caregivers whose relative used ADS briefly were more likely to be spouses, had less education, and were caring for more severely impaired relatives than sustained users. They also were experiencing more role captivity, but fewer depressive symptoms. These results suggest that brief users have often waited until their relatives problem is severe before trying ADS.

Caregiver satisfation with Adult Day Service Programs

Caregivers typically report high levels of satisfaction with adult day service (ADS) programs. However, studies of satisfaction are often limited by methodological problems. For example, items may only assess global satisfaction rather than caregivers’ feelings about specific aspects of ADS use. Additionally, caregivers’ responses may reflect their expectations or attitudes about ADS rather than satisfaction with the program. This study uses multiple indicators of a programs success to evaluate caregiver satisfaction with ADS after three and 12 months of program attendance. Reported are rates of satisfaction with various features of ADS services, perceived benefits and drawbacks associated with ADS use, and how those evaluations change over time. We also examine factors associated with caregivers’ evaluation of ADS.

Effects of Adult Day Service Programs on Time Usage by Employed and Non-Employed Caregivers

Adult day service (ADS) programs provide caregivers with a block of time away from their relative but may not reduce the overall time they spend caregiving. The current study addresses time estimates of caregiving activities among employed and non-employed caregivers of relatives with dementia who attended an ADS program for 3 months. ADS restructured caregiving activities by reducing the time caregivers spent dealing with behavior problems, reducing the time care-recipients spent alone, and increasing the time caregivers spent away from their relatives. Differences in how ADS restructures time for employed and non-employed caregivers are discussed. Day care supplements help provided by the caregiver and other informal sources and provides caregivers with uninterrupted time away from their relative.