Caregiver Spouses of Persons with Dementia Who Engage with an Emergency Preparedness Toolkit Intervention

Q: What was the emergency preparedness toolkit (EPT) intervention designed to do?

It was a low-touch intervention that provided caregivers with an EPT to prepare for their own unexpected hospitalization.

Q: How many caregivers requested the EPT after being invited?

Out of 1,062 invited caregivers, 489 (46%) requested the EPT.

Q: What did the study find about caregiver outcomes at 6 months?

Caregivers who did not request the EPT had a higher number of deaths at 6 months, while there were no significant differences in other outcomes such as ED visits or hospitalizations between the groups.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Alex Sinclair

Hospitalizations of a spousal caregiver of a person with dementia can significantly disrupt caregiving and negatively affect the caregiver. A low-touch intervention provided an emergency preparedness toolkit (EPT) so caregivers could prepare for unexpected hospitalization. In January 2023, 1,062 co-residing, non-institutionalized caregivers were invited; 489 (46%) requested the EPT. Non-requesting caregivers were more likely to be male and to have higher comorbidity and more prior ED visits and hospitalizations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages1

Reading Time3 min

AccessFree to download

Study overview

Emergency preparedness toolkit intervention

Participant invitation and uptake

Outcomes and findings

Implications for caregiver outreach

Innovation in Aging, 2025, Vol. 9, No. S2 689 Abstract citation ID: igaf122.2351 CAREGIVER SPOUSES OF PERSONS WITH DEMENTIA WHO ENGAGE WITH AN EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS TOOLKIT INTERVENTION Anna Satake1, Rebecca Boxer1, Andrea Daddato2, Kris Wain2, Blythe Dollar2, and James Lagrotteria2, 1. University of California, Davis, Davis, California, United States, 2. Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Aurora, Colorado, United States Hospitalizations of a spousal caregiver (SC) of a person with dementia (PWD) can significantly disrupt caregiving and negatively impact the SC. This study conducted a low-touch intervention by offering a SC an emergency preparedness toolkit (EPT) to prepare for their own unexpected hospitalization. In January 2023, 1,062 caregivers of PWD who live together and are not institutionalized were invited to request the EPT and use it to prepare for their own healthcare emergency. Of caregivers notified, 489(46%) requested the EPT. Caregivers who didn’t request the EPT n = 573(54%) were more likely to be male [261(46%) vs 188(38%);p=.02], have higher Elixhauser comorbidity scores (3.0±2.6 vs 2.5±1.9, p<.01), have more ED visits[132(23%) vs 88(18%)p=.04], and hospitalizations [77(13%) vs. 34(7%);p = <.01] in the prior 12 months compared to caregivers who requested the EPT. Caregiver outcomes by EPT request were measured 6-month after the EPT was sent. Caregivers who didn’t request the EPT were no different in number of hospitalizations [52(9% vs 34(7%), p=.2] than those who did; however, they hada higher number of deaths [13(2%) vs 2(.4%), p=.01] at 6 months. For the caregiver, there were no significant differences in outcomes such as ED visits/hospitalizations between the two groups. Findings indicate that the health severity of caregivers of PWD was associated with the caregiver’s response to a supportive intervention. Outreach and engagement to caregivers may need to be tailored to a range of caregiver health conditions and severity to be successful. Health of caregivers and their uptake of support and resources warrants further study.

FAQs

What was the emergency preparedness toolkit (EPT) intervention designed to do?

It was a low-touch intervention that provided caregivers with an EPT to prepare for their own unexpected hospitalization.

How many caregivers requested the EPT after being invited?

Out of 1,062 invited caregivers, 489 (46%) requested the EPT.

What did the study find about caregiver outcomes at 6 months?

Caregivers who did not request the EPT had a higher number of deaths at 6 months, while there were no significant differences in other outcomes such as ED visits or hospitalizations between the groups.

Sep 28, 2026

Uploaded by Alex Sinclair