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Purpose: The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine the caregiving burden (CB) and the determinants of burden among family members of substance‐addicted people. Design and Methods: The sample of this cross‐sectional research was 128 informal family caregivers of substance‐addicted people. We collected data by using the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI) assessing subjective burden. Findings: Mean ZBI score was 52.2. The regression analysis showed that ZBI mean score was higher in female caregivers and caregivers with lower education, poor economic status, and longer caregiving duration. There was an inverse relationship between the addict's age and the CB. Practice Implications: The predictors of CB may assist in setting caregivers at greater risk of CB as targets for the intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Few studies have sought to evaluate the risk burden of primary caregivers, particularly in Oman. This study aimed to explore whether different risk patterns of caregiver burden exist among the primary caregivers of Omani children with leukemia. Design and Methods: A cross‐sectional study was conducted between May and November 2020. A total of 101 primary caregivers of children with leukemia were recruited from a public hospital in Oman. The Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI) was used to assess caregiver burden. Results: A two‐step cluster analysis indicated that the cohort was not homogeneous (silhouette value: 1.41). Caregivers in Cluster 1 (n = 42; 41.6%) were relatively older, less educated, and had a higher caregiving burden (mean CBI score: 37.7 ± 19.9). In contrast, caregivers in Cluster 2 (n = 59; 58.4%) were younger, more highly educated, and had a moderate caregiving burden (mean CBI score: 26.3 ± 13.6). As such, Clusters 1 and 2 were characterized as the "high‐risk" and "moderate‐risk" burden groups, respectively. Practice Implications: This study highlights the need for a policy draft to target and reduce the caregiver burden in Oman, Nursing professionals should seek to develop and implement customized care depending on the caregiver risk burden, including additional financial, psychological, and physical support. They should seek to stratify caregivers by risk burden as some groups may require additional support. However, in light of recent precautionary measures due to the current pandemic situation, such services will have to be provided online or via telephone instead of in person for the foreseeable future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adult‐children caring for a parent with cancer comprise a significant segment of caregivers. Yet less is known about adult‐child caregivers, their burden, or caregivers' and patients' gender's impact, which may differ from the well‐studied spousal caregiver. This knowledge gap may hinder efforts to ameliorate adult‐children's caregiver burden. Methods: We analyzed caregiver surveys from the Cancer Care Outcomes Research and Surveillance Consortium, a multi‐regional population‐based study of patients with colorectal or lung cancer. Using t tests and multivariate regression models, we assessed whether adult‐child and spousal caregivers' caregiving responsibilities and social/emotional and financial burdens differed and used structural equation models (SEMs) to examine mediating factors. Results: Compared with spouses/partners (N = 1007), adult‐children (N = 227) spent less time caregiving (14 vs 23 hours/week; P <.001), but experienced higher social/ emotional burden (P <.01). In models adjusted for objective caregiving burden measures and demographics, adult‐children's social/emotional (P <.05) and financial burdens (P <.01) were greater than spouses'. Poor communication quality was associated with greater social/emotional burden for both groups (P <.05). SEMs indicated that gender concordance between caregivers and patients (eg, daughters caring for mothers) and caregiver employment increased the difference between adult‐child and spouses' social/emotional burden, whereas caregiver‐patient relationship quality reduced it. Conclusions: Adult‐children spend less time caregiving than spouses/partners, but have higher social/emotional and financial caregiving burdens, partially due to adult‐children's employment, caregiver‐patients' gender concordance, and relationship quality. Gender concordance's contribution to greater social/emotional burden adds important context to prior findings, indicating female caregivers experience the most burden. Interventions that improve caregiver‐patient communication may reduce both adult‐child and spousal caregiver burden. Adult‐children spend less time caregiving than spouses/partners, but report higher social/emotional and financial caregiving burdens, partially due to adult‐children's employment and caregiver‐patients' gender makeup. Interventions to improve communication between caregivers and patients may reduce both adult‐child and spousal caregiver burden. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and objective: Caring for people with severe asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can impair the quality of life (QoL) of the carer. We aimed to describe the QoL and needs of severe asthma and COPD carers. Methods: Carers of severe asthma (n = 89) and COPD (n = 48) completed an online cross‐sectional survey assessing QoL and carer support needs using the Short Form Health Survey 12v2 (SF‐12), the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Carers Support Needs Assessment Tool (CSNAT) questionnaires. Results: Carers of people with severe asthma and COPD were similar in age (mean ± SD 57.78 ± 14.09 vs. 56.93 ± 12.91) and gender (65% female vs. 66%); however, they differed in caring duration (proportion caring for >10 years: 65% vs. 33%, p < 0.002). QoL was impaired in both groups, but there were no significant differences between severe asthma and COPD carers in either of the SF‐12 component scores. The HADS scores revealed no difference between groups. Compared to severe asthma carers, COPD carers had significantly greater needs for: 'having time for self' (33% vs. 13%, p = 0.006), 'equipment to help care for relative' (33% vs. 13%, p = 0.006), 'practical help in the home' (35% vs. 18%, p = 0.006) and 'getting a break from caring overnight' (21% vs. 6%, p = 0.023). Conclusion: QoL is impaired in carers of people with severe asthma to a similar degree of COPD carers and other debilitating diseases like cancer. These novel data highlight the support needs of severe asthma carers and identifies areas where tailored support is needed to reduce their substantial carer burden. Quality of life is impaired in severe asthma carers. We have shown, through a larger sample of carers using a quantitative online survey, the burden of caring for people with severe asthma. Using a validated tools to capture concepts of well‐being can be useful to reduce carer burden. See relatedEditorial [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals who care for aging parents or relatives often experience caregiving burden, which is associated with various negative psychological outcomes. During the current COVID‐19 pandemic, the conflict between caring for older relatives and taking the necessary personal precautions against infection may be exacerbated among individuals who belong to social groups, which perceive caring for others as an indispensable cultural construct. Accordingly, the current study examined whether feeling a part of one's community moderates the association between caregiving burden and depressive symptoms among the ultra‐orthodox society in Israel. A convenience sample of 358 ultra‐orthodox participants was collected (age range 30–70; M = 49.50, SD = 10.24), all of whom completed scales assessing caregiving burden, sense of community, and depressive symptoms. Results demonstrated that high caregiving burden and low sense of community were associated with increased depressive symptoms. Moreover, sense of community moderated the caregiving burden‐depressive symptoms link, as the latter positive association was significant only among individuals reporting low levels of sense of community. The discussion highlights the importance of sense of community as a beneficial personal and social factor, which mitigates the negative psychological consequences of caregiving burden among such societies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Caregivers are diverse. Research needs to focus on understanding the similarities and differences of diverse caregivers to develop the most supportive policies and programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Chinese informal caregivers experience burden due to their caregiving responsibilities that violate their belief of reciprocal parent-child relationship, but little is known about this burden and coping processes among Chinese. It is believed that internal coping (i.e., self-reliance) and external coping (i.e., seeking help from others) better captured cultural characteristics of coping styles observed among Chinese. Thus, the aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of mental ill health, identify correlates, investigate the impact of caregiving burden on mental health, and explore the potentially moderating role of two coping strategies.Design: A purposive sample of 234 informal caregivers of family with intellectual or mental disability in Macao (SAR), China, from August to September 2018 was investigated.Methods: DASS-21, Caregiving Burden Inventory (CBI), Perceived Difficulty Scale (PD), and a modified Chinese Coping Scale were used. Multiple regression analyses were conducted.Results: CBI and PD were associated with depression, anxiety, and stress. Whereas internal coping buffered the effect of PD on depression and anxiety, external coping exacerbated the effect of PD on anxiety and the effect of CBI on depression and anxiety.Conclusion: Poor mental health among caregivers is associated with greater caregiving challenges and burdens. Internal coping helped to buffer but external coping worsened the effect of burdens on mental health outcomes. Interventions that improve internal coping and mental health might be helpful for ageing informal caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Caregivers of patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) experience an immense caregiving burden before, during, and after HCT.Methods: We conducted an unblinded, randomized trial of a psychosocial intervention (BMT-CARE) for caregivers of patients undergoing autologous and allogeneic HCT at Massachusetts General Hospital. Caregivers were randomly assigned to BMT-CARE or usual care. BMT-CARE was tailored to the HCT trajectory and integrated treatment-related education and self-care with cognitive-behavioral skills to promote coping. Caregivers assigned to BMT-CARE met with a trained interventionist (a psychologist or a social worker) in person, via telephone, or via videoconferencing for 6 sessions starting before HCT and continuing up to day +60 after HCT. The primary endpoint was feasibility, which was defined as at least 60% of eligible caregivers enrolling and completing 50% or more of the intervention sessions. We assesed caregiver quality of life (QOL; Caregiver Oncology Quality of Life Questionnaire), caregiving burden (Caregiver Reaction Assessment), psychological distress (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), self-efficacy (Cancer Self-Efficacy Scale-Transplant), and coping (Measures of Current Status) at baseline and 30 and 60 days after HCT. We used mixed linear effect models to assess the effect of BMT-CARE on outcomes longitudinally.Results: We enrolled 72.5% of eligible caregivers (100 of 138), and 80% attended 50% or more of the intervention sessions. Caregivers randomized to BMT-CARE reported improved QOL (B = 6.11; 95% CI, 3.50-8.71; P < .001), reduced caregiving burden (B = -6.02; 95% CI, -8.49 to -3.55; P < .001), lower anxiety (B = -2.18; 95% CI, -3.07 to -1.28; P < .001) and depression symptoms (B = -1.23; 95% CI, -1.92 to -0.54; P < .001), and improved self-efficacy (B = 7.22; 95% CI, 2.40-12.03; P = .003) and coping skills (B = 4.83; 95% CI, 3.04-6.94; P < .001) in comparison with the usual-care group.Conclusions: A brief multimodal psychosocial intervention tailored for caregivers of HCT recipients is feasible and may improve QOL, mood, coping, and self-efficacy while reducing the caregiving burden during the acute HCT period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Family caregivers carry heavy end-of-life (EOL) caregiving burdens, with their physical and psychological well-being threatened from caregiving to bereavement. However, caregiving burden has rarely been examined as a risk factor for bereavement adjustment to disentangle the wear-and-tear vs relief models of bereavement. Objective/Methods Preloss and postloss variables associated with severe depressive symptoms and quality of life (QOL) for 201 terminally ill cancer patients' caregivers over their first 2 years of bereavement were simultaneously evaluated using multivariate hierarchical linear modeling. Severe depressive symptoms (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale score > 16) and QOL (physical and mental component summaries of the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form Health Survey) were measured 1, 3, 6, 13, 18, and 24 months postloss.Results: Caregivers' likelihood of severe depressive symptoms and mental health-related QOL improved significantly from the second year and throughout the first 2 years of bereavement, respectively, whereas physical health-related QOL remained steady over time. Higher subjective caregiving burden and postloss concurrent greater social support and better QOL were associated with bereaved caregivers' lower likelihood of severe depressive symptoms. Bereaved caregivers' mental health-related QOL was facilitated and impeded by concurrent greater perceived social support and severe depressive symptoms, respectively.Conclusion: Severe depressive symptoms and mental health-related QOL improved substantially, whereas physical health-related QOL remained steady over the first 2 years of bereavement for cancer patients' caregivers. Timely referrals to adequate bereavement services should be promoted for at-risk bereaved caregivers, thus addressing their support needs and facilitating their bereavement adjustment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES Focusing on Chinese immigrants, this study examined (1) whether filial obligation, the core social norm in the Chinese culture, is related to caregiving burdens; and (2) whether level of acculturation of the caregivers moderates the above relationships. DESIGN Cross‐sectional. SETTING Chicago, Illinois. PARTICIPANTS A purposive sample of 393 Chinese adult immigrants who were primary caregivers of parents aged 60 years or older. MEASURES Sense of filial obligation was captured by felt responsibility toward parents in six domains (respect, make happy, care, greet, obey, and provide financial support). Caregiving burdens were measured by the Caregiver Burden Inventory. Acculturation was measured by 12 questions about respondents' language preference in different settings and ethnicity of individuals they interact with. RESULTS: A stronger sense of filial obligation was significantly associated with lower levels of developmental (β = −.15), emotional (β = −.18), social (β = −.20), and physical (β = −.10) burdens. For subjective burdens (developmental, social burdens), such a protective effect of filial obligation was stronger among caregivers with lower acculturation levels. For more objective burdens (time‐dependent, physical burdens), stronger filial obligation was actually associated with greater burdens among caregivers with higher acculturation levels. CONCLUSION: Programs focusing on celebrating the cultural heritage of immigrants and improving the relationship between the parents and children may be helpful to reduce caregiving burdens. Intervention programs that help Chinese immigrant caregivers to find the most appropriate way to balance traditional and new social norms are important to provide successful care to aging Chinese immigrants. J Am Geriatr Soc 67:S564–S570, 2019. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current study extends the Activity Restriction Model of Depressed Affect by exploring the relationship between parental caregiving burden, activity restriction, and depressive symptoms. It investigated the mediating role of restriction in three types of activities (daily routine, personal control, and social) in the relationship between parental caregiving burden and carer depression. Respondents ( n = 203, Meanage = 45.45 years, standard deviation = 7.81, females = 84.7%) were parent carers of a young person with mental illness and based in Australia. They completed a set of measures assessing caregiving burden, participation in daily routine, personal control and social activities, and depressive symptoms. A multiple mediation analysis revealed that restriction of daily routine, personal control, and social activities indirectly mediated the relationship between parental caregiving burden and parent carers' symptoms of depression. A latent profile analysis suggested an optimal three-profile solution. As predicted, profile membership distinguished parent carers on depressive symptoms ranging from normal to severe levels based on participation in the specific activities. Our results suggest a typology of parent carers perceiving differential levels of caregiving burden and activity restriction. Strategies addressing these specific areas provide preventative and promotion measures to optimize carer mental health and well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective The study aimed to examine caregiving burden and levels of distress, accommodating behaviours, expressed emotion (EE) and carers' skills, in parents of adolescents with anorexia nervosa. Method A semi-structured interview assessed the objective burden (time spent across caregiving tasks) in parents ( n = 196) of adolescents ( n = 144) receiving outpatient treatment for anorexia nervosa. Subjective burden (carers' distress), accommodating behaviours, EE and carers' skills were measured by self-report. Results Mothers, on average, spent 2.5 h/day of care, mainly providing food and emotional support, compared with 1 h/day by fathers. The level of distress and accommodating behaviour was significantly lower in fathers than in mothers. Accommodating behaviours mediated the relationship between objective burden and subjective burden in mothers, whereas EE and carers' skills did not mediate this relationship for either parent. Discussion The objective burden for most mothers is high. In order to reduce subjective burden, it may be helpful to target accommodating behaviours. Trial Registration ISRCTN83003225 - Expert Carers Helping Others (ECHO). Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Children's health-related quality of life ( Hr Qo L) and psychological problems are important outcomes to consider in clinical decision making in paediatric asthma. However, children's and parents' reports often differ. The present study aimed to examine the levels of agreement/disagreement between children's and parents' reports of Hr Qo L and psychological problems and to identify socio-demographic, clinical and family variables associated with the extent and direction of (dis)agreement. Methods The sample comprised 279 dyads of Portuguese children with asthma who were between 8 and 18 years of age ( M = 12.13; SD = 2.56) and one of their parents. The participants completed self- and proxy-reported questionnaires on paediatric generic Hr Qo L ( KIDSCREEN-10), chronic-generic Hr Qo L ( DISABKIDS-37) and psychological problems ( Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire). Children's and parents' perceptions of family relationships were measured with the Family Environment Scale and the caregiving burden was assessed using the Revised Burden Measure. Results The child-parent agreement on reported Hr Qo L and psychological problems was poor to moderate (intraclass correlation coefficients between 0.32 and 0.47). The rates of child-parent discrepancies ranged between 52.7% (psychological problems) and 68.8% (generic Hr Qo L), with 50.5% and 31.5% of the parents reporting worse generic and chronic-generic Hr Qo L, respectively, and 33.3% reporting more psychological problems than their children. The extent and direction of disagreement were better explained by family factors than by socio-demographic and clinical variables: a greater caregiving burden was associated with increased discrepancies in both directions and children's and parents' perceptions of less positive family relationships were associated with discrepancies in different directions. Conclusions Routine assessment of paediatric Hr Qo L and psychological problems in healthcare and research contexts should include self- and parent-reported data as complementary sources of information, and also consider the family context. The additional cost of conducting a more in-depth assessment of paediatric adaptation outcomes can be offset through more efficient allocation of health resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives This study examines the association between psychological morbidity, social support, and demographic and clinical variables in adult children of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Special attention was given to the variable level of parental dependency. The main predictors of caregiving burden were tested, as well as the mediating role of social support in the relationship between psychological morbidity and burden. Methods A total of 214 adult children caregivers of parents with cancer were recruited in Northern Portugal central hospitals. Caregivers completed Portuguese versions of the Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales, Impact of Event Scale-Revised, Satisfaction with Social Support Scale, and Burden Assessment Scale. Results Significant associations among psychological, demographic, and clinical variables were found. Adult children with a greater perception of parent's dependency showed more distress, higher posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, greater caregiving burden, and less satisfaction with social support. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed the main predictors of caregiver burden to be as follows: being a woman, caregiving duration, having a dependent parent, more distress and PTSD symptoms, and poorer social support. Social support was found to be a partial mediator in the relationship between psychological morbidity and caregiver burden. Conclusions Results underscore the importance of perceived parental dependency in offspring's caregivers. Findings support the multidimensional issues associated to burden in this specific population, stressing satisfaction with social support as an important mediator between distress/PTSD and burden. Implications for further research as well as limitations of the present study are discussed. Psychosocial interventions should focus on caregivers' social resources to facilitate psychological well-being. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The aim of the study was to examine how carers cope practically and emotionally with caring for individuals with anorexia nervosa who require intensive hospital care. Method: This study explores objective burden (time spent with caregiving and number of tasks), subjective burden (psychological distress), and social support in a sample of parents ( n = 224) and partners ( n = 28) from a consecutive series of patients ( n = 178) admitted to inpatient units within the United Kingdom. Results: Most time was spent providing emotional support and less with practical tasks. Time spent with caregiving was associated with carer distress and was fully mediated by carer burden. This was ameliorated by social support. Partners received minimal support from others, and we found similar levels of burden and distress for mothers and partners. Discussion: The data indicate that professional and social support alleviates carer distress and may be of particular value for partners who are more isolated than parents. The data also suggest that time spent with practical support may be of more value than emotional support. © 2012 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. (Int J Eat Disord 2013;) [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective Caregivers, assuming the responsibilities of caring for patients, are involved in significant emotional and physical caring which may lead to depressive symptoms. However, few studies are available pertaining to related factors of depressive symptoms among cancer caregivers in China. This study aims to evaluate the prevalence of depressive symptoms and to explore its predictive factors. Methods A face-to-face interview was conducted with 312 cancer caregivers in Shenyang. Depressive symptoms were assessed by the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale. Hierarchical multivariate regression analysis was used to explore the factors related to depressive symptoms. In the hierarchical regression, caregiver demographic characteristics were entered in the first step, patients' characteristics were entered in the second step, objective caregiving loads were entered in the third step, subjective caregiving burden was entered in the fourth step, and Sense of Coherence (SOC) was entered in the last step. Results The prevalence of caregivers' depressive symptoms was 63.5%. Regression analyses showed that demographic characteristics of caregivers and subjective caregiving burden explained most of the total variance, accounting for 28.5% and 14.6%, respectively. Subjective caregiving burden was positively associated with depressive symptoms, whereas SOC was negatively associated with depressive symptoms. Conclusions Chinese caregivers of cancer patients experienced higher levels of depressive symptoms. Demographic characteristics of caregivers and subjective caregiving burden were the most significant predictors of depressive symptoms, whereas SOC could attenuate the levels of depressive symptoms. Caregiving burden should be decreased, and SOC is highly recommended to manage caregiving tasks in order to alleviate depressive symptoms. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relative to the United States and other western countries, less research has focused on factors associated with caregiving burden and maternal pessimism in Taiwanese mothers of adolescents with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The characteristics of 50 adolescents with an ASD living at home in Taiwan and its association with caregiving burden and maternal pessimism were examined. The age range of adolescents with an ASD was from 10 to 18. Mothers, aged 35 to 55 years, completed self-report written questionnaires regarding their child's adaptive functioning and their own perceptions of caregiving burdens and concerns. Findings indicated that functional independence, severe maladaptive behaviours and severity of autism were predictive of maternal caregiving burden. Maternal pessimism was associated with functional independence and severity of autism. The findings of this study indicated that occupational therapy practitioners could focus on training functional independence of the individual with an ASD to meet the family's need in Taiwan. Researchers should pay significant attention to the lifespan issues of autism in Taiwanese families. The major limitations of this study were small sample size and without a comparison group. Future research using larger samples with a comparison group is needed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

- Despite the high numbers of children who provide care to family members in industrialized countries, relatively little is known about the impact of caregiving on children's development. In this article, issues related to children's caregiving, including a discussion of who provides care, the costs and benefits of caring, and directions for future research are reviewed. This review is intended to stimulate further study of this issue, particularly in clarifying who is most vulnerable to caregiving burden and understanding how caregiving affects children's lives and development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on a sample of 126 families, this study investigated how division of household labor is related to marital satisfaction and caregiving burden among older married parents caring for adult children with intellectual disabilities. For mothers, greater spousal participation in household work and satisfaction with the division of labor were positively related to marital satisfaction. Satisfaction with division of labor also appeared to buffer maternal caregiving stress, decreasing the relationship between behavior problems of the adult child and caregiver burden. For fathers, there was no relationship between division of household labor and marital satisfaction. Behavior problems of the adult child predicted paternal caregiving burden only when men were satisfied with the labor division. Practice implications for professionals working with older caregiving parents are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To test a caregiving model of depression in spouses, 31 married couples completed interview and questionnaire assessments of depressive symptoms and caregiving activities. Spouses living with a partner with depressive symptoms had more symptoms of depression themselves. However, this association was found to be fully mediated by spouses’ perceived level of caregiving stress and burden. Results suggest that feelings of stress associated with caring for a depressed spouse may lead to depressive symptoms in the caregiving spouse and should be addressed in treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study compares patient and spousal perceived support during the cardiac surgery recovery period (1 and 3 months after surgery) and explores the effects of social support on patient/spouse subjective mood states. Significant differences in levels of perceived social support were reported by patients and spouses over time. Social support buffered the impact of caregiving burden on mood disturbance for caregiving spouses but did not significantly impact physical or mental health outcomes for patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This report discusses the public health impact of Alzheimer's disease (AD), including incidence and prevalence, mortality rates, costs of care, and overall effect on caregivers and society. It also examines the impact of AD on women compared with men. An estimated 5.2 million Americans have AD. Approximately 200,000 people younger than 65 years with AD comprise the younger onset AD population; 5 million are age 65 years or older. By mid-century, fueled in large part by the baby boom generation, the number of people living with AD in the United States is projected to grow by about 9 million. Today, someone in the country develops AD every 67 seconds. By 2050, one new case of AD is expected to develop every 33 seconds, or nearly a million new cases per year, and the total estimated prevalence is expected to be 13.8 million. In 2010, official death certificates recorded 83,494 deaths from AD, making AD the sixth leading cause of death in the United States and the fifth leading cause of death in Americans aged 65 years or older. Between 2000 and 2010, the proportion of deaths resulting from heart disease, stroke, and prostate cancer decreased 16%, 23%, and 8%, respectively, whereas the proportion resulting from AD increased 68%. The actual number of deaths to which AD contributes (or deaths with AD) is likely much larger than the number of deaths from AD recorded on death certificates. In 2014, an estimated 700,000 older Americans will die with AD, and many of them will die from complications caused by AD. In 2013, more than 15 million family members and other unpaid caregivers provided an estimated 17.7 billion hours of care to people with AD and other dementias, a contribution valued at more than $220 billion. Average per-person Medicare payments for services to beneficiaries aged 65 years and older with AD and other dementias are more than two and a half times as great as payments for all beneficiaries without these conditions, and Medicaid payments are 19 times as great. Total payments in 2014 for health care, long-term care, and hospice services for people aged 65 years and older with dementia are expected to be $214 billion. AD takes a stronger toll on women than men. More women than men develop the disease, and women are more likely than men to be informal caregivers for someone with AD or another dementia. As caregiving responsibilities become more time consuming and burdensome or extend for prolonged durations, women assume an even greater share of the caregiving burden. For every man who spends 21 to more than 60 hours per week as a caregiver, there are 2.1 women. For every man who lives with the care recipient and provides around-the-clock care, there are 2.5 women. In addition, for every man who has provided caregiving assistance for more than 5 years, there are 2.3 women. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]