A MEASURE OF PERCEIVED BURDEN AMONG CAREGIVERS

This report describes an easily administered scale for measuring perceived burden among caregivers of family members with dementia. During home interviews conducted in 1991,82 caregivers rated their family member with dementia on several items related to functional ability, the type of care provided, and associated stress. The resulting measure of perceived burden, based on 15 internally consistent items (alpha = 0.87), is significantly correlated with depressive symptomatology (r = 0.38, p = 0.0004). This measure is useful in assessing perceived stress associated with specific care-giving responsibilities. It can be used, along with other measures of patient functional status, to assess overall caregiver burden and to target intervention strategies.