Experience and perspectives of caregivers of spouse with mild cognitive impairment.

The purpose of this paper is to describe commonalities of the lived experience of being a spouse caregiver of a person with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). The Colaizzi method of empirical phenomenology was used for inter-viewing and analyzing data obtained from 10 spouse caregivers of persons with MCI. Four major themes were found and labeled: (a) Putting the Puzzle Pieces Together-There Really is Something Wrong; (b) A Downward Spiral into a World of Silence; (c) Consequences to Caregivers of Living in a World of Silence; (d) Taking Charge of Care.

Depressed mood in informal caregivers of individuals with mild cognitive impairment.

This study estimates the prevalence of depressed mood in caregivers of individuals with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and assesses whether demographics, stressors, intrapsychic strain, and gain are associated with depressed mood. A secondary analysis of baseline data from the Alzheimer's Disease Cooperative Study MCI trial was conducted using a cross-sectional, correlational design. Descriptive statistics to estimate the prevalence of caregiver depressed mood and univariate and block-wise logistic regression analyses were used.

Relationships between caregiver stress and self-care behaviors in response to symptoms.

The specific aims of this study were to (a) identify relationships among care-giving stress, caregivers' functional ability, and number of self-care behavior responses to physical and psychological symptoms in caregivers of persons with dementia and (b) examine the mediating function of functional ability in the relationship between caregiving stress and self-care behavior response to symptoms. A correlational, cross-sectional design was used, and a survey was mailed to 99 caregivers. The survey questionnaire contained items about demographics, caregiving stress, functional ability, and self-care behavior.

Gender differences in community services knowledge, needs, and use among older African-Americans.

The primary purpose of this study was to compare knowledge of use of and need for community services between older (60 years of age and older) African-American men and women. A secondary purpose was to determine whether predisposing, enabling, and health-status factors could predict knowledge of need for, and use of specific community services among African-American women and men, 60 years of age and older Data were gleaned from a community-based random telephone survey of African-Americans (77 female and 23 male), 60 years of age and older, living in northeastern Ohio. Data generated from this study were analyzed using chi-square, and independent samples t-test, and multiple regression.