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Reduced employment in caregivers of frail elders: impact of ethnicity, patient clinical characteristics, and caregiver characteristics
Covinsky KE, Eng C, Lui LY, Sands LP, Sehgal AR, Walter LC, Wieland D, Eleazer GP et al.. The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences, 2001-11-01
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Our goal was to determine the patient and caregiver characteristics associated with the reduction of employment hours in caregivers of frail elders. Results A total of 604 (22%) of the 2806 patients had at least one caregiver who either reduced the number of hours they worked or quit working to care for the patient. Patient characteristics independently associated with a caregiver reducing hours or quitting work were ethnicity, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.14-1.78 for African American;, 95% CI 1.43-2.52 for Hispanic), ADL function below the median (, 95% CI 1.44-2.15), a diagnosis of dementia (, 95% -2.17 if associated with a behavioral disturbance;, 95% CI 1.06-1.63 if not associated with a behavioral disturbance), or a history of stroke (OR = 1.42, 95% CI 1.16-1.73). After controlling for these patient characteristics, caregiver characteristics associated with reducing work hours included being the daughter or daughter-in-law of the patient (OR = 1.69, 95% CI 1.37-2.08) and living with the patient (OR = 4.66, 95% CI 3.65-5.95 if no other caregiver lived at home, OR = 2.53, 95% CI 2.03-3.14 if another caregiver lived at home).
Key findings
- Our goal was to determine the patient and caregiver characteristics associated with the reduction of employment hours in caregivers of frail elders.
- Results A total of 604 (22%) of the 2806 patients had at least one caregiver who either reduced the number of hours they worked or quit working to care for the patient.
- Patient characteristics independently associated with a caregiver reducing hours or quitting work were ethnicity, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.14-1.78 for African American;, 95% CI 1.43-2.52 for Hispanic), ADL function below the median (, 95% CI 1.44-2.15), a diagnosis of dementia (, 95% -2.17 if associated with a behavioral disturbance;, 95% CI 1.06-1.63 if not associated with a behavioral disturbance), or a history of stroke (OR = 1.42, 95% CI 1.16-1.73).
- After controlling for these patient characteristics, caregiver characteristics associated with reducing work hours included being the daughter or daughter-in-law of the patient (OR = 1.69, 95% CI 1.37-2.08) and living with the patient (OR = 4.66, 95% CI 3.65-5.95 if no other caregiver lived at home, OR = 2.53, 95% CI 2.03-3.14 if another caregiver lived at home).
Why it matters
This study found that 22% of patients had at least one caregiver who reduced work hours or quit working, and that a diagnosis of dementia was among the patient characteristics associated with this. It concerns caregiver employment, not the treatment, cure, or prevention of Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Study designcross-sectional
- Participants2,806
- Effect sizeOR = 1.42; OR = 1.69; OR = 4.66
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 58/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a snapshot of people at one point in time. Scored zero for randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences) |
| Journal's citation record | 3 / 4 | The Journals of Gerontology Series A: journal h-index 274 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 4 / 12 | A snapshot of people at one point in time |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 1 / 5 | 2001 — older than 20 years, still counted |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 2,806 participants |
| Effect reported | 3 / 3 | Effect reported with a statistic (interval, p-value, ratio or similar) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 5 / 7 | Cited 146 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 5.4 citations a year over 27 year(s) since 2001 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 12.8× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 5 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 6 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 4 / 4 | Last-listed author Kristine S. Yaffe: h-index 155 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of California, San Francisco: institution h-index 1,915 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 3 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 11682579) |
| Free to read | 0 / 2 | Behind a paywall — scores zero |
| Total | 58 / 100 | — |
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Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
APA 7th
Covinsky, K. E., Eng, C., Lui, L. Y., Sands, L. P., Sehgal, A. R., Walter, L. C., et al. (2001). Reduced employment in caregivers of frail elders: impact of ethnicity, patient clinical characteristics, and caregiver characteristics. The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences. https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/56.11.m707
Vancouver
Covinsky KE, Eng C, Lui LY, Sands LP, Sehgal AR, Walter LC, et al. Reduced employment in caregivers of frail elders: impact of ethnicity, patient clinical characteristics, and caregiver characteristics. The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences. 2001. doi:10.1093/gerona/56.11.m707. PMID: 11682579.
BibTeX
@article{covinsky2001-11682579,
author = {Covinsky, K. E. and Eng, C. and Lui, L. Y. and Sands, L. P. and Sehgal, A. R. and Walter, L. C. and Wieland, D. and Eleazer, G. P. and others},
title = {{Reduced employment in caregivers of frail elders: impact of ethnicity, patient clinical characteristics, and caregiver characteristics}},
journal = {The journals of gerontology. Series A, Biological sciences and medical sciences},
year = {2001},
doi = {10.1093/gerona/56.11.m707},
pmid = {11682579},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/56.11.m707}
}
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