Are Medical Care Expenses Higher for Spouses who Provide Dementia Care?

Is spousal care for someone with dementia associated with increased health care expenditures? Compared to spouses not providing such care, how much more expensive is dementia care and what types of medical care drive increased costs? Given the challenges of dementia care, including neglect of preventive care, increased risk of common mental illnesses, poor sleep, and isolation, we might expect to see increased medical care costs. In fact, a number of claims-based studies have shown these effects.

Source: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry - October 20, 2020 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Steven M. Albert Tags: Editorial Source Type: research