Using U.S. Medicare records to evaluate the indirect health effects on spouses: a case study in Alzheimer's disease patients

• Published in: BMC health services research Vol. 14; no. 1; p. 291
• Main Authors: Gilden, Daniel M, Kubisiak, Joanna M, Kahle-Wrobleski, Kristin, Ball, Daniel E, Bowman, Lee
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 07.07.2014; BioMed Central
• Subjects: Advertising executives; Aged, 80 and over; Alzheimer Disease - diagnosis; Alzheimer Disease - economics; Alzheimer Disease - epidemiology; Alzheimer's disease; Analysis; Beneficiaries; Caregivers; Case studies; Comorbidity; Complications and side effects; Confidence intervals; Costs; Couples; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dementia; Diagnosis; Female; Frail Elderly; Health aspects; Health care policy; Health Expenditures; Health insurance; Hospitals; Humans; Insurance claims; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Marriage; Medicaid; Medicare; Medicare - economics; Population; Spouses; Stress (Psychology); Studies; United States - epidemiology; United States; United States > US

The burden experienced by spouses of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) may have negative consequences for their physical health. We describe here a method for analyzing United States Medicare records to determine the changes in health service use and costs experienced by spouses after thei...