The Impacts in Caregiver Burden of Getting Lost Events on Family Caregivers of Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease

AbstractBackgroundThe prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is increasing. The caregiver burden on family caregivers also increased. Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia not only reduce the quality of life of patients living with AD and their family caregiver, but also increase risk of institutionalization from their originally living community. Topographical disorientation is common in patients with AD, which may result in getting lost (GL) events. GL in patients with AD is not uncommon. From previous researches, the prevalence of GL events in community are about 30%‐70%. This study will focus on the impacts of GL events on family caregivers since this kind of studies have been never conducted before.MethodIn our preliminary research, we have interviewed the family caregivers of patients with AD who experienced their first ever GL event. The most prominent events after GL was emotional stress and astonishment. In this research, we will interview the family caregivers whose patients with AD and have GL events in recent 3 months. We will divide them into two groups, one is patients with first ever GL event, the other is patients with repetitive GL events. We expect to enroll 100 pairs of patients and their family caregivers and 50/50 in each group. The patients and their family caregivers’ demographic data, patients’ cognitive function, and navigational abilities, and family caregivers’ emotional stress are collected, including Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI), Questionnaire of Everyday Navigational Abilities (QuENA), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) and Chinese version of Startle, Physically Upset by Reminders, Anger, and Numbness scale (SPAN‐C).ResultThe research has been ongoing. The final results will be disclosed during AAIC 2020. We hypothesis that GL events in patients with AD will make great emotional stress on their family caregivers, especially those who suffered from first GL events.ConclusionFamily caregivers of patients with AD should notice the potential risk of GL and make necessary prevention before it happened.