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American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias logoLink to American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias
. 2010 Nov;25(7):556–561. doi: 10.1177/1533317510382287

Health-Related Quality of Life in Caregivers of Individuals With Dementia From Colombia

Juan Carlos Arango-Lasprilla 1, Tara Lehan 2, Allison Drew 3, Alexander Moreno 4, Xiaoyan Deng 5, Mariantonia Lemos 6
PMCID: PMC10845331  PMID: 20826708

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to compare the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of 99 caregivers of individuals with dementia and 95 healthy individuals from the general population in Colombia. The 36-item short-form (SF-36), a self-report measure composed of 8 component areas (physical function, role-physical, bodily pain, general health, energy/vitality, social function, role-emotional, and mental health), was used to measure HRQoL. Results indicated that the healthy control group had a higher level of education, socioeconomic status (SES), and number of male participants. After adjusting for education, SES, and gender, the caregivers of individuals with dementia scored significantly lower on all of the SF-36 subscales than the healthy controls. These findings suggest the need for rehabilitation health professionals to develop and implement culturally appropriate interventions to improve the HRQoL of caregivers of individuals with dementia in Colombia.

Keywords: caregivers, SF-36, health-related quality of life, dementia, Colombia

Full Text

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Contributor Information

Juan Carlos Arango-Lasprilla, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA, jcarangolasp@vcu.edu .

Tara Lehan, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.

Allison Drew, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.

Alexander Moreno, Central Police Hospital, Bogota, Colombia.

Xiaoyan Deng, Department of Biostatistics, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA.

Mariantonia Lemos, Psychology Program, CES University, Medellin, Colombia.

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