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Hindi Research Article
Knowledge of Alzheimer's Disease Among Family Caregivers
Elaine Eshbaugh1* and Lauren Stratton21Department of Gerontology, University of Northern Iowa, USA
2Department of Gerontology, Iowa State University, USA
- *Corresponding Author:
- Elaine Eshbaugh
Associate Professor, Department of Gerontology
University of Northern Iowa, United States
Tel: 3198305536
E-mail: ELAINE.ESHBAUGH@UNI.EDU
Received date: November 02, 2016; Accepted date: November 23, 2016; Published date: November 30, 2016
Citation: Eshbaugh EE, Stratton L (2016) Knowledge of Alzheimer's Disease Among Family Caregivers. J Comm Pub Health Nurs 2:143. doi:10.4172/2471-9846.1000143
Copyright: © 2016 Eshbaugh E, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Abstract
Objective: Although the majority of care for those with Alzheimer’s is provided by informal rather than formal caregivers, family caregivers may lack knowledge about the disease. We sought to better understand the level and predictors of knowledge among family caregivers.
Design: Several Alzheimer’s area support group facilitators were asked to forward a survey to their support groups via electronic mail. An email that accompanied the survey invited participants to forward the survey to others who had family members affected by Alzheimer’s disease. One-hundred forty-two total participants completed the survey.
Measurements: This study examined the level of knowledge 142 family members had about the disease using the Alzheimer’s Disease Knowledge Scale (ADKS).
Results: Scores on the ADKS were positively correlated with self-reported knowledge of Alzheimer’s, and family members with higher levels of education were more likely to be knowledgeable about the disease.
Conclusion: Our research suggests that years of education is a predictor of Alzheimer’s knowledge among caregivers. It appears that family members, particularly those with lower levels of education, have a need for more knowledge about Alzheimer’s.
