Parkinson’s Disease Caregiving: Implications for Care Management

The primary objective of this study was to identify the needs of caregivers of individuals with Parkinson’s disease within the context of the common functional, memory, and behavioral problems experienced by Parkinson’s patients. A second objective was to evaluate any differences between caregivers of Parkinson’s patients and caregivers of adults with other forms of cognitive impairment. Data used for this analysis were collected in 1999, by the 11 Caregiver Resource Centers that form California’s statewide Caregiver Resource Center system, as part of the uniform caregiver assessment process. Parkinson’s disease caregivers requested assistance with emotional support, respite, and behavior management. Compared with caregivers of non-Parkinson’s patients served by the CRC system, caregivers of Parkinson’s patients were primarily older, entered the CRC system later, and demonstrated increased depression and other health conditions.