Correlates of family caregivers' knowledge about Alzheimer's disease

Objective. The aim of the present study was to assess family caregivers' level of knowledge about Alzheimer's disease and its correlates. Design, setting and participants. Two hundred and twenty informal caregivers of an elderly person suffering from Alzheimer's disease were recruited from four large memory clinics across the country and interviewed by trained research assistants. Measures. Knowledge of the disease was assessed using a questionnaire including 17 items examining general knowledge, symptoms, treatment and services. Independent variables included caregivers' socio-demographic characteristics. patients' clinical characteristics and characteristics of the caregiving situation. Results. Overall, low levels of knowledge were found, especially in items related to the prevalence, causes and symptoms of the disease. Low education and being a spouse were the most important vulnerability factors associated with poor knowledge. Conclusions. Further research on the correlates of caregivers' knowledge about AD should be promoted in order to allow better decision-making processes and better matching of the needs of caregivers and intervention programs. Copyright (C) 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.