The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry
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Am J Geriatr Psychiatry · May 2021
Incremental Health Care Expenditures of the Spouses of Older Adults With Alzheimer's Diseases and Related Dementias (ADRD).
Previous research has found that having a spouse with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) is associated with higher health care expenditures, however it is unclear if this difference remains after accounting for the demographics and health status of the non-ADRD spouse. This paper aims to estimate the adjusted incremental health care expenditures of having a spouse with ADRD. ⋯ Results suggested that the higher health care expenditures in older adults with ADRD spouses can be attributed to the higher rate of comorbidities, rate of functional limitations, and mean age in this group. The increased use of home health and decreased use of outpatient in this population suggests the importance of tailoring preventative health care and social services to meet the needs of this group.