The purpose of this proposal is to maintain a unique longitudinal database on family caregivers, linked to longitudinal data on the persons with Alzheimer's disease for whom they provide care. This database will be designed and maintained by the Caregiver Core (CGC) as part of the University Hospitals of Cleveland/Case Western Reserve University Alzheimer Disease Research Center (UHC/CWRU ADRC). This proposal requests continuation of the CGC, which was funded recently (June 1, 1992) as part of a competitive NIA supplement grant (Supplement to NIA ADRC AGO8012 """"""""Caregiver Core"""""""").
The specific aims of the CGC, unchanged from the original supplement, are: (a) to provide ADRC and other investigators with an efficient mechanism for obtaining pilot and/or baseline data for caregiver studies, for assessing the suitability of the ADRC caregivers for specific studies, and for generating hypothesis for new research; (b) to improve measurement of key concepts in caregiving research; (c) to investigate the relationship between caregiver characteristics and their performance as proxy respondents for AD subjects in ADRC Clinical Core research; (d) to enhance understanding of caregivers as controls or AD subjects in ADRC Clinical Core research by comparing caregivers with noncaregiver controls; and, (e) to provide opportunities for caregivers to participate in research, thereby enhancing caregiver and patient engagement in research in the UHC/CWRU ADRC. The sample for the CGC will include approximately 200 family caregivers of AD patients currently enrolled in the UHC/CWRU ADRC and approximately 25 non-caregiver controls. Approximately 80 caregivers and 40 non-caregiver controls will be added each year. Longitudinal data will be obtained through mailed questionnaires sent annually to correspond with annual ADRC patient assessments (plus one post-caregiving data collection after the death of the patient). This database on both caregivers and non-caregiver controls will be available to individual investigators and ADRC cores through the Data Management and Analysis Component of the Clinical Core.
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