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. 2022 May 20;77(Suppl_1):S74-S85.
doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbab237.

Patterns of Caregiving Among Older Adults With and Without Dementia: A Latent Class Analysis

Talha Ali  1 , Gail J McAvay  1 , Joan K Monin  2 , Thomas M Gill  1
Affiliations

Patterns of Caregiving Among Older Adults With and Without Dementia: A Latent Class Analysis

Talha Ali et al. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci. .

Abstract

Objectives: We identify common patterns of caregiving or "care types" among older adults with and without dementia. Prior research has focused on primary caregivers and on the independent effects of individual caregiving attributes. We examine multiple caregivers of older adults, including the primary caregiver, and how multiple caregiving attributes co-occur to shape caregiving types.

Methods: We link 2015 care recipient (N = 1,423) and unpaid caregiver data (N = 2,146) from the National Health and Aging Trends Study and the National Study of Caregiving. Latent class analysis of caregiving attributes, representing care intensity and regularity, and various care activities, was used to construct care types. Multinomial logistic regression was used to examine if the recipients' dementia status and caregivers' background characteristics predicted membership in care types.

Results: Five distinguishable care types were identified. Caregivers who were female, adult children, or coresidents, those caring for persons with dementia, and those who had paid help had higher odds of being in the more demanding care types. Conversely, older, White caregivers and those with support for their caregiving activities were less likely to be in a demanding care type.

Discussion: Care types can help us understand sources of heterogeneity in caregiving and effectively target caregiver support services and interventions.

Keywords: Care types; Caregiving networks; Dementia.

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Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Latent care types characterizing caregiving among older adults. Notes: Weighted % and unweighted Ns are presented. Total unweighted N = 2,146. Item-response probabilities match those presented in Table 3.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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