Table 1. Demographic Information of Patient and Caregiver Participants.
| Characteristic | Patients (n=13) | Caregivers (n=10) |
|---|---|---|
|
| ||
| Women | 62% | 50% |
|
| ||
| Age (years, mean) | 85 | 64 |
|
| ||
| Race | ||
| African American/Black | 0% | 20% |
| Asian | 8% | 30% |
| Caucasian/White | 85% | 40% |
| Hispanic | 8% | 10% |
|
| ||
| Highest Educational Level | ||
| High school diploma or less | 30% | 10% |
| Some college | 8% | 30% |
| Completed college | 15% | 40% |
| Graduate degree | 46% | 20% |
|
| ||
| Patient Characteristics (n=13) | ||
|
| ||
| Cognitive impairment | 38% | |
|
| ||
| Living status | ||
| Alone | 9 | |
| With others | 4 | |
|
| ||
| Home care provider or attendant | ||
| Yes | 7 | |
| No | 6 | |
|
| ||
| Medications (total, average) | 10.2 (± 3.7) | |
|
| ||
| Dependent ADLs (average) | 2.3 (± 2.3) | |
|
| ||
| Dependent IADLs (average) | 5.0 (± 1.5) | |
|
| ||
| CIRS categories endorsed (average) | 6.8 (± 2.5) | |
|
| ||
| CIRS score (average)a | 13.7 (± 5.0) | |
|
| ||
| Cumulative Illness Rating Scale Severity Index (average, 0-4)a | 2.0 (± 0.4) | |
|
| ||
| Caregiver characteristics (n=10) | ||
|
| ||
| Relationship to patient | ||
| Relative | 8 | |
| Paid | 2 | |
|
| ||
| Number of caregiving hours per day (average) | 11.8 (± 9.4) | |
|
| ||
| Number of years as primary caregiver (average) | 6 (± 2.8) | |
a
The CIRS-G evaluates 14 organ systems. The severity of comorbidity in each organ system is based on a scale from 0 to 4 (0, no problem; 1, Current mild problem or past significant problem; 2, moderate disability requiring “first-line” therapy; 3, severe, constant, or significant disability, or “uncontrollable” chronic problems; 4, extremely Severe/immediate treatment required/end organ failure/severe impairment in function). The total score is calculated by adding together all the categories. The severity index is calculated by the total score divided by the number of categories endorsed.