Family Caregiver Perceptions of Benefits and Barriers to the Use of Adult Day Care for Individuals with Alzheimer's Disease

To determine the perceived benefits and barriers to the use of adult day care (ADC) by family caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD), 104 family caregivers (52 users of ADC and 52 nonusers) were interviewed by telephone using a semistructured interview protocol. Comparisons were made between users and nonusers of ADC. Analysis of the qualitative data identified seven categories of barriers to ADC and seven categories of benefits to ADC. Both quantitative and qualitative analyses revealed no significant differences in reported barriers to ADC use by users and nonusers. Both users and nonusers reported barriers; more users overcame the barriers to use the service. Both users and nonusers saw benefits to the caregiver from using ADC; only users saw ADC as primarily benefiting the patient. ADC users also used other respite services more than nonusers.