Caregiving at end‐of‐life: How do family structure and dementia status impact antidepressant and anxiolytic prescriptions among families?
Antidepressant and anxiolytic prescriptions may be influenced by the availability, proximity, and structure of family associated with persons with dementia; therefore, assessing family dynamics is essential in holistic dementia care. Family caregivers of individuals with dementia were more likely than non-dementia caregivers to have a psychiatric prescription in the year leading up to the decedent's death. Findings underscore the added stress of dementia end-of-life (EOL) care and the need for greater support during this critical pre-death period. Families in which children co-resided with the decedent and those with more available members generally had lower odds of receiving psychiatric prescriptions. This suggests that family structure, living arrangements, and availability may serve as useful indicators for assessing psychosocial needs, allowing health-care professionals to better identify and support families requiring assistance during EOL dementia caregiving.
Authors
- Mike Hollingshaus (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1682-9150)
- Rebecca Utz (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7734-7676)
- Katherine A. Ornstein (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6270-4423)
- Caroline E. Stephens (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0009-9814-4654)
- Huong Meeks (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8712-4679)
- Rachael Alexander
- Ken R. Smith (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0682-3705)
- Djin Tay (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5247-0010)
- Pamela Barrientos
- Mike Newman
- Eli Iacob (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1617-0314)
- Lee Ellington (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7035-490X)
- Amy M. Cizik (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4777-2617)
- Tom Belnap
Institutions
- Intermountain Healthcare (US)
- Johns Hopkins University (US)
- University of Utah (US)
- Huntsman Cancer Institute (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Alzheimer s & Dementia
- Published
- 2025-05-30
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.14590
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.47
Funders
- Patrick and Catherine Weldon Donaghue Medical Research Foundation
- Utah Department of Health
- Huntsman Cancer Foundation
- Huntsman Cancer Institute
- Center on Aging, University of Utah
- National Institute on Aging
- National Cancer Institute
- National Center for Research Resources