The Burden of Alzheimer’s Disease: Spousal Spillovers among Elderly Couples in the United States

This project analyzes how the burden of Alzheimer’s Disease and related dementia affects the health and healthcare of the caregiving spouse. It explores these spillover effects using Medicare claims data that credibly link residents in households where one of the two Medicare-covered residents at the same address has an ADRD diagnosis. The project will analyze the spousal impacts on health care utilization through the progression of the disease, and ultimately at the death of the spouse, and how spousal health and healthcare varies based on the quality of care provided to their ADRD-afflicted partner. We will also study how financial concerns, such as spend-down requirements for Medicaid eligibility, affect spousal spillovers.