Objective Assess family caregivers’ primary appraisal of stressors related to COVID-19 stay-at-home orders, secondary appraisal of resources and support availability, and use of coping strategies as predictors of perceived role overload during the stay-at-home phase of the pandemic. Method Telephone interviews with 53 family caregivers of persons with dementia from rural Virginia two weeks after enactment of the governor’s stay-at-home order using structured and open-ended questions. Results Caregivers who were more concerned about the COVID-19 pandemic were at greater odds of experiencing high role overload than those who recognized positive aspects of the pandemic, as were those who received insufficient support from family and friends. Discussion Use of the transactional model of stress responses yielded important insights about families coping with dementia. Caregivers’ perceptions of the pandemic’s impact varied, with differential effects on their well-being.

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Pursuing family-level data on responses to MCI uncovered more nuanced reactions, often differing across triad members, than individual-based research has found. Family perceptions about changes in elders' memory have important implications for within-family interactions and support that can help families cope successfully with MCI.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) in late life takes various forms including physical harm, sexual assault, and murder. Using national newspaper reports of IPV among elders, we identified the types of violence reported most frequently in media and examined how the abuse was conceptualized by reporters. We found that most cases of IPV reported involved murder, with men as perpetrators and women as victims. Caregiving stress and health problems were frequently cited as contributing factors in the cases. Interpreting these findings from a feminist perspective, we suggest implications for practitioners working with older adults.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) refers to non-normative changes in memory and cognition. While researchers are beginning to address the social consequences of MCI, no investigations have tracked how married couples respond to MCI over time as symptoms stabilize or become more severe. Guided by life course and symbolic interactionist tenets, we examined how 40 older couples in the United States adjusted to daily life after one partner was diagnosed with MCI and how their marital roles and relationship changed over a three- to four-year period. Data were collected from 2004 through 2010. All couples experienced an initial period of transition in coping with MCI where they made adjustments in their daily lives and interactions. Following this adjustment period, four trajectories of care emerged depending on the extent of the older adult's decline and the spouse's response. We conclude that changes associated with MCI affect role identity and have consequences for spousal relationships.