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Caring for relatives with dementia: willingness-to-pay for a reduction in caregiver's burden
Markus König1, Albert Wettstein
1Socioeconomic Institute, University of Zurich, Hottingerstrasse 10, CH-8032 Zurich, Switzerland. mkoenig@soi.unizh.ch
Abstract:
Informal care constitutes a large percentage of total care for patients with dementia. Providing care for cognitively impaired individuals is stressful and demanding. This study applies the contingent valuation method to estimate the willingness-to-pay of informal caregivers for a reduction of their burden. In 109 face-to-face interviews, caregivers with demented relatives stated their willingness-to-pay for three hypothetical treatments of the patient. Results suggest that caregiver's disutility from burden is considerable. On average, caregivers are willing to pay 2200 Swiss Francs (US$1500) per year for a reduction of their burden level from moderate to low. Therefore, interventions which combat the negative consequences of caregiving have great potential to yield a social net benefit.
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