Shirley Musich|Shaohung S. Wang|Sandra Kraemer|Kevin Hawkins|Ellen Wicker
Caregivers for older adults: Prevalence, characteristics, and health care utilization and expenditures
Optum (United States)|Optum (United States)|UnitedHealth Group (United States)|Optum (United States)|AARP
purpose study provide overview caregiver prevalence characteristics estimate impact caregiving health care utilization expenditures among aarp medicare supplement insureds inform caregiver intervention strategies subgroup livein partners used investigate additional effect livein health status caregiver health multivariate regression models utilized determine caregivers characteristics associated impacts health care utilization expenditures among respondents n 18928 149 selfidentified caregivers strongest characteristics included younger healthier reporting depression loneliness caregivers sicker liveins female older indicated moderate loneliness caregivers healthier liveins younger healthier reported severe loneliness caregivers significantly lower inpatient admissions medical prescription drug expenditures results indicated adverse impact psychological health associated caregiving evidence negative impact physical health