Patterns of adult day service use by family caregivers: A comparison of brief versus sustained use

Low service use by family caregivers of dementia patients was examined by comparing brief and sustained users of Adult Day Services (ADS). Caregivers whose relative used ADS briefly were more likely to be spouses, had less education, and were caring for more severely impaired relatives than sustained users. They also were experiencing more role captivity, but fewer depressive symptoms. These results suggest that brief users have often waited until their relative's problem is severe before trying ADS.