Lack of Any Caregiving for Those with Dementia

Article type: Short Communication

Authors: Khan, Noreen^a | Garcia, Nelda^a | Mehdipanah, Roshanak^b | Briceño, Emily M.^c | Heeringa, Steven G.^d | Levine, Deborah A.^{a; e} | Gonzales, Xavier F.^f | Langa, Kenneth M.^{d; e; g} | Longoria, Ruth^a | Morgenstern, Lewis B.^{a; h; *}

Affiliations: [a] Department of Neurology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA | [b] Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA | [c] Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA | [d] Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA | [e] Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA | [f] Department of Life Sciences, Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi, TX, USA | [g] Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, MI, USA | [h] Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Lewis Morgenstern, MD, 1500 E. Medical Center Drive, CVC 3194, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5855, USA. Tel.: +1 734 936 9075; E-mail: lmorgens@umich.edu; Institutional twitter handle: @umichmedicine.

Abstract: Older adults with significant cognitive impairment require help with activities of daily living. The BASIC-Cognitive Project, set in Nueces County, Texas, is a community-based study examining trends in cognition among Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic Whites. Using cross-sectional data from a cohort study, we found that at least 7% of individuals aged 65 and older with a Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score of < 20 (or < 15 for telephone MoCA), did not receive any caregiving help. This conservative estimate highlights an important community need for those with significant cognitive impairment and has implications regarding safety and care for older adults.

Keywords: Activities of daily living, caregiving, dementia, Hispanic, underserved populations

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-215418

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 86, no. 2, pp. 531-535, 2022