Koivisto, Anne M.

Background: The longitudinal pattern of medication use among family caregivers of people with dementia is not well understood, despite the potential for medication over- or under-use. Objectives: To investigate caregiver medication use over a five-year follow-up using data obtained via self-report and from a national prescription register, and compare agreement between medication data obtained from the two sources.

<bold>Objectives: </bold>Family caregivers (FCs) face a variety of demands while caring for persons with Alzheimer disease (AD). Longitudinal studies identifying the specific AD-related neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) that contribute to FC distress are rare. We analyzed which NPS in association with care recipient and caregiver demographic factors are associated with FC psychological distress over a 36-month follow-up period.<bold>Design: </bold>This is a longitudinal study with annual follow-up.