Lack of Any Caregiving for Those with Dementia

Noreen Khan; Nelda Garcia; Roshanak Mehdipanah; Emily M Briceño; Steven G Heeringa; Deborah A Levine; Xavier F Gonzales; Kenneth M Langa; Ruth Longoria; Lewis B Morgenstern

doi:10.3233/JAD-215418

Lack of Any Caregiving for Those with Dementia

J Alzheimers Dis. 2022;86(2):531-535. doi: 10.3233/JAD-215418.

Authors

Noreen Khan¹, Nelda Garcia¹, Roshanak Mehdipanah², Emily M Briceño³, Steven G Heeringa⁴, Deborah A Levine^{1

5}, Xavier F Gonzales⁶, Kenneth M Langa^{4

5

7}, Ruth Longoria¹, Lewis B Morgenstern^{1

8}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
² Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
³ Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
⁴ Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
⁵ Department of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
⁶ Department of Life Sciences, Texas A&M University, Corpus Christi, TX, USA.
⁷ Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
⁸ Center for Social Epidemiology and Population Health, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.

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; Hispanic; caregiving; dementia; underserved populations.

Publication types

Letter
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

Activities of Daily Living / psychology
Aged
Cognitive Dysfunction* / psychology
Cohort Studies
Cross-Sectional Studies
Dementia*
Humans
Mental Status and Dementia Tests
Neuropsychological Tests

Abstract

Publication types

MeSH terms

Grants and funding