Affiliations: [a] Parkinson’s Disease Research Clinic, Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia | [b] Healthy Brain Ageing Program, School of Psychology, Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia
Correspondence:
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Correspondence to: Simon J.G. Lewis, Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, 94 Mallett Street, Camperdown, NSW, Australia. Tel.: +61 2 9351 0702; Fax: +61 2 9351 0855; E-mail: simonl@med.usyd.edu.au.
Abstract: Background: Recent attempts to standardise the definition of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) in Parkinson’s disease (PD) by the Movement Disorder Society Task Force has led to a greater understanding of this entity but to date, there has been a paucity of research regarding the impact of PD-MCI on caregiver outcomes. Objective: The aim of this study was to utilise the newly established PD-MCI diagnostic criteria to investigate caregiver outcomes in relation to four specific aspects: (1) caregiver burden, (2) quality of life (QoL), (3) caregiving experience, and (4) psychological distress. Methods: This study included a total of 166 patient-caregiver dyads. Caregiver outcomes including quality of life, caregiver burden, mood disturbances, and caregiver experience were compared between caregivers of PD patients classified as having normal cognition (PD-NC) and PD-MCI. Results: Despite the two groups being matched on demographic and clinical features, caregivers of PD-MCI patients reported a lower level of QoL with regard to physical health and more interruptions with usual activities. On the other hand, a higher impact on finances was reported in caregivers of PD-NC patients, relative to caregivers of PD-MCI patients. Conclusions: This study has shown that even at earlier stages of cognitive impairment, PD-MCI caregivers already experience elevated levels of distress in the role of providing care to their care-recipients. These findings highlight the need to include management of caregiver distress and associated sequelae alongside the management of PD-MCI patients, early on in the disease course.
