Table 4.

Caregiver Assessment: Recommended Domains and Constructs

Domains	Constructs
Context	Caregiver relationship to care recipient
	Physical environment (home, facility)
	Household status (number in home, etc.)
	Financial status
	Quality of family relationships
	Duration of caregiving
	Employment status (work/home/volunteer)
Caregiver's perception of health and functional status of care recipient	Activities of daily living (ADLs; bathing, dressing) and need for supervision
	Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs; managing finances, using the telephone)
	Psychosocial needs
	Cognitive impairment
	Behavioral problems
	Medical tests and procedures
Caregiver values and preferences	Caregiver/care recipient willingness to assume/accept care
	Perceived filial obligation to provide care
	Culturally based norms
	Preferences for scheduling and delivery of care and services
Well-being of the caregiver	Self-rated health
	Health conditions and symptoms
	Depression or other emotional distress (e.g., anxiety)
	Life satisfaction/quality of life
Consequences of caregiving	Perceived challenges
	Social isolation
	Work strain
	Emotional and physical health strain
	Financial strain
	Family relationship strain
	Perceived benefits
	Satisfaction of helping family member
	Developing new skills and competencies
	Improved family relationships
Skills/abilities/knowledge to provide care recipient with needed care	Caregiving confidence and competencies
	Appropriate knowledge of medical care tasks (wound care, etc.)
Potential resources that caregiver could choose to use	Formal and informal helping network and perceived quality of social support
	Existing or potential strengths (e.g., what is presently going well)
	Coping strategies
	Financial resources (healthcare and service benefits, entitlements such as Veteran's Affairs, Medicare)
	Community resources and services (caregiver support programs, religious organizations, volunteer agencies)