Patterns of adult day service use by family caregivers: A comparison of brief versus sustained use

Low service use by family caregivers of dementia patients was examined by c omparing brief and sustained users of Adult Day Services (ADS). Caregivers whose relative used ADS briefly were more likely to be spouses, had less ed ucation, and were caring for more severely impaired relatives than sustaine d users. They also were experiencing more role captivity, but fewer depress ive symptoms. These results suggest that brief users have often waited unti l their relative's problem is severe before trying ADS.