Developing a measurement strategy for assessing family caregiver skills

This article presents a conceptual approach to assessing skills of family caregivers for persons with Alzheimer's disease and recommends next steps for the development of this science. Researchers used multiple methods to develop a conceptual strategy for assessing family caregiver skills. Study participants included clinical, outreach staff from an Alzheimer's disease center, nursing faculty with expertise in dementia care, and family caregivers. Mixed methods contributed to the conceptual clarification of caregiving skill and to the development of 3 approaches to assessing caregiver skill: caregiver self-report, clinician assessment, and direct observational assessment. Caregiver effectiveness has the potential to affect the process of caregiving and outcomes for both the person with dementia and the caregiver.