This cross-sectional retrospective secondary use study examined patient and caregiver completed questionnaires (N=483). Caregiver burden was quantified with the 4-item Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI-4). In addition, seven domains of patient safety were included as binary (yes/no) variables: driving, home safety concerns (e.g. burners left on), social isolation, wandering, falls, financial mismanagement and thoughts of suicide. Each patient safety domain was assessed as an exposure in separate linear regression models (7 models total) with ZBI-4 score as the outcome, equivalent to a two-sample t-test of mean ZBI-4 scores between groups while allowing for covariate adjustment. All models were adjusted for Functional Activity Questionnaire score (disease severity), diagnosis, age and sex.

Caregivers of dementia patients tend to have higher ZBI-4 scores if patients have home safety concerns, experience financial mismanagement or have thoughts of suicide. Future research using cohort or prospective design should be considered to further characterize these associations.