The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry
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Am J Geriatr Psychiatry · Jan 2013
The use of formal and informal care in early onset dementia: results from the NeedYD study.
Early onset dementia (EOD) poses specific challenges and issues for both the patient and (in)formal care. This study explores the use of (in)formal care prior to institutionalization, and its association with patient and caregiver characteristics. ⋯ In EOD, it appears that family members provide most of the care. However, other social roles still have to be fulfilled. Especially in spousal caregivers of younger patients in advanced disease stages, there is a double burden of work and care responsibilities. This finding also indicates that even within the EOD group there might be important age-related differences. The relatively higher amount of formal care use during advanced disease stages suggests a postponement in the use of formal care.