Informal caregiving time and costs for cognitive impairment in older adults

Cognitive impairment (CI) is a chronic disease. In estimating the total cost of this condition, several studies have reported that the percentage corresponding to informal care is superior to the cost of health care per se. The cost of informal caregiving time for older adults with CI residing in their homes is estimated in this study. A cross-sectional observational study was developed in which the Resident Assessment Instrument Home Care (RAI-HC) was used to compile information on the sociodemographic variables, characteristics of the informal caregivers, disease diagnoses, hearing and vision function, use of formal support services, use of locomotion aids, the Cognitive Performance Scale (CPS) score and hours of informal care. The hours of informal care for CI and its cost were estimated using a multiple linear regression model. A mean of 282.61 hours per year was attributable to CI alone, which is equivalent to a cost of 3956.54€. This paper is the first in Spain that estimates informal caregiving time in older adults with cognitive impairment. It provides valuable information for health professionals and policy makers and removing some uncertainty. These results are not different than USA studies and European countries studies.

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Francisco-Sotos/publication/3829108...