Who's On Your Team? Classifying Dementia Caregiving Networks and Associations with the Well-being of Caregivers and Care Recipients with Dementia.

Abstract

Objectives: While caregivers are typically enmeshed in broad networks of family and friends assisting with care, this network has been neglected in favor of examining a "primary" caregiver. This study examines types of family and unpaid friend networks for individuals with dementia and how one's network type relates to the well-being of care recipients with dementia and their caregivers.

Methods: Data are drawn from the nationally representative 2017 National Health and Aging Trends Study and associated National Study of Caregiving. The sample includes 336 dementia care networks (Network size mean=2.9). We first identified network types using Latent Class Analysis and then examined the extent to which network type is associated with the well-being of care recipients with dementia (sleep, depressive symptoms) and their caregivers (emotional difficulty, overload, social support from family and friends) using ANOVA and linear regressions adjusting for demographics.

Results: Three network types were identified: "Siloed"- small networks, limited task sharing (29.8% of networks); "Small but mighty"- small networks, high task sharing (23.0% of networks); and "Complex"- large networks, diverse membership, members who share and specialize in task assistance (47.2%). Individuals with dementia with a "Siloed" network had significantly poorer sleep quality and caregivers in "Siloed" networks reported receiving less social support from family and friends than those in "Small but mighty" and "Complex" networks.

Discussion: Caregiver networks that are less collaborative may need supports to reduce isolation amongst caregivers and improve health outcomes for individuals with dementia.