Depression Can Deepen Over Time for Alzheimer's Caregivers

A new study published in the Journal of Applied Gerontology found that older adults caring for spouses just diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease are 30 percent more depressed than those whose spouses did not have Alzheimer's or related dementia, according to U.S. News & World Report . For individuals whose care often lasts for years and symptoms that continue to worsen, caregivers can suffer persistent, long-term depression. The researchers reviewed data on 16,650 older adults from the University of Michigan Health and Retirement Study. "The fact that we saw these depressive symptoms stay for at least two years, beyond two years, means they're taking a lot of the burden and it may be impacting the care they're able to provide over time," said Melissa Harris with the University of Michigan School of Nursing. Separately, Harris is talking to family caregivers to see how their lives have changed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and many resources and programs for patients or caregivers have been canceled or virtualized. "They don't get the same support and experience that they got before," she explained. "They described that the pandemic has really impacted their lives and their ability to care for themselves and also their loved ones."