Study: Spousal Caregivers of Dementia Patients More Likely To Develop Dementia Themselves

According to a new study published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, spousal caregivers of dementia patients are six times more likely to develop dementia themselves.

The study, conducted by researchers at Utah State University, followed 1,221 married couples age 65 or older in a rural county in northern Utah. Among the participants, husbands were at a higher risk of developing dementia than wives.

The researchers concluded that "the chronic and often severe stress associated with dementia caregiving may exert substantial risk for the development of dementia in spouse caregivers."

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