Enhancing practitioner ability to recognize and treat caregiver physical and mental consequences

It is important for health providers to identify stress in caregivers to geriatric rehabilitation patients in order to prevent or reduce potential adverse physical and emotional health consequences. This article presents results from studies of caregivers to older rehabilitation patients recruited from a rehabilitation hospital, a comprehensive geriatric assessment program, and a social service agency. Results suggest that practitioners may identify at-risk caregivers by assessing stress-related behaviors (eg, psychotropic medication use, weight change). Implications for training health professionals, incorporating assessment and treatment into the clinical assessment of the patient-caregiver dyad, and evaluating the effects of this assessment are discussed.