Abstract
Purpose :
To examine the economic impact of vision impairment (VI) and dementia on older adults and caregivers
Methods :
We used data from the 2011 National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), a nationally representative survey of Medicare beneficiaries, linked to their family/unpaid helpers from the National Study of Caregiving (NSOC). VI was defined as self-reported blindness or difficulty with distance/near vision. Dementia was based on survey-report, interviews, and cognitive tests. Outcomes included (1) having debt, and receiving (2) financial help from relatives, and government-based (3) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) (4) other food assistance, and (5) utility assistance, for NHATS older adults, and (6) financial difficulty for NSOC caregivers.
Results :
Of 7,608 NHATS older adults, 84% did not have VI or dementia, 6% had VI only, 7% had dementia only, and 3% had VI and dementia. In fully adjusted, logistic regression analyses, older adults with VI and dementia had greater odds of having debt (OR=3.9 [95%CI=2.1, 7.4]), and receiving financial help (OR=2.5 [1.6, 3.7]), SNAP (OR=2.6 [1.7, 4.1]), and other food assistance (OR=3.5 [2.1, 5.9]), but not utility assistance (OR=1.0 [0.6, 1.9], than older adults without either impairment, (Table 1). Of 2,007 NSOC caregivers, 54% cared for older adults without VI or dementia, 13% for VI only, 25% for dementia only, and 12% for VI and dementia. In logistic regression, caregivers to older adults with VI and dementia had greater odds of reporting caregiving-related financial difficulty (OR=2.8 [1.8, 4.3]) than caregivers of those without either impairment.
Conclusions :
Older adults with VI and their caregivers experience similar financial outcomes as compared to older adults with dementia and their caregivers, respectively. However, these results are magnified for older adults with co-occurring VI and dementia, and their caregivers.
This abstract was presented at the 2022 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Denver, CO, May 1-4, 2022, and virtually.