Correlates of Depression and Burden for Informal Caregivers of Patients in a Geriatrics Referral Clinic

Caregiver burden has been associated with patient dementia. In this study we tested the hypothesis that caregiver burden and depression are related to patient cognitive impairment. We analyzed records of 127 elderly male patients from a Veterans hospital geriatrics referral clinic. The patients and their informal caregivers had been referred to the clinic because the complexity and multiplicity of their problems were beyond the treatment capability of other clinics. There was a high prevalence of dementia (73%) and depression (69%) in these patients according to Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-III) criteria. Quantitative measures of patient dementia and dependency in activities of daily living were not statistically associated with measures of caregiver depression or burden. In contrast, measures of patient depression were significantly correlated with measures of caregiver depression and burden. We hypothesize that caregivers of chronically ill, elderly men cope better with physical and cognitive incapacity than with affective symptoms. Because caregiver support is the most important factor in maintaining a disabled elder in the community, we suggest evaluating patients and caregivers for depression as part of standard practice in geriatric clinical settings.