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Aging & Mental Health Volume 24, 2020 - Issue 9
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Quality of Life in Carers

Quality of life of family carers of persons with young-onset compared to late-onset dementia

Lara HvidstenNorwegian National Advisory Unit on Ageing and Health, Vestfold Hospital Trust, Tønsberg, Norway; ;Division for Mental Health and Addiction, Vestfold Hospital Trust, Tønsberg, Norway; Correspondence[email protected]
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Knut EngedalNorwegian National Advisory Unit on Ageing and Health, Vestfold Hospital Trust, Tønsberg, Norway; ;Vestfold Hospital Trust, Tønsberg, Norway; ;Department of Geriatric Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; View further author information
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Geir SelbaekNorwegian National Advisory Unit on Ageing and Health, Vestfold Hospital Trust, Tønsberg, Norway; ;The Centre for Old Age Psychiatric Research, Innlandet Hospital Trust, Ottestad, Norway; ;Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; View further author information
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Torgeir Bruun WyllerDepartment of Geriatric Medicine, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway; ;Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; View further author information
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Jūratė Šaltytė BenthInstitute of Clinical Medicine, Campus Ahus, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; ;Health Services Research Unit, Akershus University Hospital, Nordbyhagen, Norway; View further author information
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Frøydis BruvikHaraldsplass Deaconess Hospital, Bergen, Norway; ;Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway; View further author information
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Hege KerstenNorwegian National Advisory Unit on Ageing and Health, Vestfold Hospital Trust, Tønsberg, Norway; ;Pharmaceutical Bioscience, School of Pharmacy, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway; ;Department of Research and Development, Telemark Hospital, Skien, NorwayView further author information
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Pages 1394-1401 | Received 31 Jan 2019, Accepted 04 May 2019, Published online: 20 May 2019
 
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Abstract

Objectives: To compare quality of life (QOL) of family carers of persons with young- (YOD) to late-onset dementia (LOD).

Methods: This was a cross-sectional comparison of 88 carers of persons with YOD and 100 carers of persons with LOD. The Quality of Life – Alzheimer’s Disease questionnaire (QOL–AD) was used to measure QOL of both carers and persons with dementia. Depressive symptoms were measured by the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) for carers and the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia for persons with dementia. Care burden was measured by the Relatives’ Stress Scale. Activities of Daily Living (ADL) of the persons with dementia were assessed using the total score from the Lawton & Brody Instrumental-ADL scale and the Physical Self-Maintenance Scale. Multiple linear regression models with interactions between covariates and group (YOD versus LOD) were estimated.

Results: The QOL–AD scores of YOD-carers were significantly poorer compared to LOD-carers (mean difference 2.5 (95% CI 0.7; 4.3), p = 0.006). Poorer QOL of carers was associated with more depressive symptoms (mean QOL-AD change −0.5 (−0.6; −0.3), p < 0.001), but with no difference between the two groups. In contrast to LOD, QOL of carers of people with YOD was also significantly associated with symptom duration (p = 0.002), depressive symptoms of the persons with dementia (p = 0.030), ADL (p = 0.001), and carer burden (p = 0.002).

Conclusion: YOD-carers reported significantly poorer QOL compared to LOD-carers. QOL was significantly associated with depressive symptoms in carers of both groups.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by The Research Council of Norway under Grant 229002 and registered in the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP), NCT02055092.

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