Table 1: Characteristics of Participating Informal Caregivers and Persons with Dementia (in Percentages)

Informal Caregivers Stages of Dementiaa Total N=1494 p < 1 Year N=89 1-4 Years N=744 ≥ 4 Years N=661
Age 0.03
< 45 years old 1.1 6.2 3.7 4.8
45 - 65 years old 50.0 42.9 39.1 41.6
65 - 85 years old 46.6 47.4 54.5 50.5
≥ 85 years old 2.3 3.6 2.6 3.1
Gender 0.43
female 77.5 70.9 71.8 71.7
male 22.5 29.1 28.2 28.3
Relationship to the Person with Dementia 0.00*
spouse 54.5 53.1 64.4 58.2
son/daughter (in-law) 29.5 41.5 31.6 36.4
other 15.9 5.4 4.0 5.4
Frequency of Providing Informal Care 0.64
daily 58.4 58.5 63.3 60.6
3-6 times a week 19.1 19.0 16.3 17.8
1-2 times a week 16.9 18.4 16.8 17.6
< 1 time a week 5.6 4.1 3.6 4.0
Persons with Dementia
Age 0.00*
< 45 years old 0.0 0.1 0.2 0.1
45 - 65 years old 10.3 3.7 8.6 6.3
65 - 85 years old 72.4 69.8 69.4 69.8
≥ 85 years old 17.2 26.3 21.9 23.8
Gender 0.43
female 55.1 55.0 51.6 53.5
male 44.9 45.0 48.4 46.5
Current Living Situation 0.00*
in his/her own home or with a child 85.4 79.6 65.3 73.6
in nursing home or home for the elderly 14.6 20.4 34.7 26.4

* Differences between the stages of dementia are statistically significant (chi-square test, p < 0.01)
aEvaluated by the informal caregiver