National and state-level variations in caregiving for persons living with dementia in the US

TL;DR

This study explores differences in dementia caregiving across U.S. states and regions, highlighting the need for localized data to improve caregiving support.

Contribution

The study reveals regional heterogeneity in dementia caregiving patterns, emphasizing the importance of local data for targeted interventions.

Findings

National dementia caregiving trends align with prior research, but regional differences are evident.

Local data resources can improve estimates of caregiving prevalence and service delivery.

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine variations between dementia caregivers, caregivers of people without dementia, and non-caregivers across a range of sociodemographic and health variables nationally in 47 states and within five specific states representing a region of the U. S. (New York, Arizona, Minnesota, Idaho, Maine).

This cross-sectional, observational study utilized 2021–2022 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). Bivariate and cross-tabulation analyses were conducted to examine empirical variation.

Although national results remain fairly consistent with prior research on dementia caregivers, heterogeneity emerges when comparing national results with dementia caregiving data across the five selected states.

The availability of local data resources on dementia caregiving could help to provide more accurate/relevant estimates of ADRD caregiving prevalence and better deliver home and community-based services where they are most needed.