Influence of Caregiver Activation on Health of Informal Caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s

Abstract Caregiver activation is related to a caregiver’s knowledge, skill and confidence to provide multiple levels of care of another individual. To date there is little research assessing caregiver activation within the population of informal caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients. Forty-four informal caregivers of persons with Alzheimer’s were recruited through caregiver resource centers and online communities in the state of Oregon, completed a self-report survey. The purpose of this study was to identify the predictive qualities and influence of caregiver activation on informal caregiver physiological and psychological health as well as positive health behaviors. General health, emotional wellbeing, self-efficacy, and caregiver characteristics were all significantly correlated with caregiver activation. Results of bivariate linear regression analysis indicate that caregiver activation is significantly related to a decrease in caregiver physiological and psychological health symptoms but not to an increase in positive health behaviors.