Dementia, Help with Financial Management, and Financial Well-Being

J Aging Soc Policy. 2020 May-Jun;32(3):242-259. doi: 10.1080/08959420.2019.1685355. Epub 2019 Nov 5.

Abstract

This paper uses the National Health and Aging Trends Study to determine whether older individuals with dementia receive help from their informal caregivers in managing their finances and how this assistance - or the lack of it - is correlated with financial well-being. The study finds that the vast majority of those with dementia do receive help managing their finances. Those with dementia who receive help are indistinguishable from those without dementia in terms of experiencing financial difficulties. However, the minority without help are over twice as likely to experience severe financial hardship, even controlling for other factors.

Keywords: Dementia; caregiving; financial well-being; representative payee.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Caregivers / economics*
  • Cost of Illness
  • Dementia / economics*
  • Dementia / epidemiology
  • Female
  • Financial Management / methods*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Medicare
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • United States / epidemiology