Caregiver cognitive status and potentially harmful caregiver behavior.

The association between caregiver cognitive status and potentially harmful caregiver behavior was assessed in a sample of 180 caregiver-care recipient dyads. Compromised cognitive status was identified in 39% of these informal caregivers. Beyond variance explained by demographic factors, amount of care provided, care recipient cognitive status, and caregiver depressed affect, care recipients reported more frequently being subjected to potentially harmful caregiver behavior when their caregivers evidenced compromised cognitive status. While preliminary, critical areas of caregiver cognition appeared to be deficits in language comprehension and memory. Results indicate that compromised cognitive status is common among informal caregivers of impaired elders and that this may adversely influence the quality of care they provide.