Pnd41 Healthcare Expenditure Burden in Multiple Sclerosis: Marginal Costs Based on National Level Data

Abstract

Objectives: Informal dementia caregivers are the largest providers of dementia care and it is necessary to provide them with effective support and skills. We describe how much informal dementia family caregivers are willing-to-pay (WTP) for a tailored nondrug support program that provides skills to manage dementia related symptoms before and after participating in a nondrug support program. Methods: Caregiver and person with dementia dyads (n=223) were recruited to participate in a randomized controlled trial evaluating a nonpharmacologic intervention that provides caregivers with strategies to minimize behavioral symptoms through the use of meaningful activities compared to attention control. At baseline, 3-months, and 6-months, a contingent valuation payment card method was used to assess how much caregivers would be WTP per session for an 8-session 3-month nonpharmacologic program delivered in-home to address behavioral problems. We calculated unadjusted WTP at each time point and estimated a linear mixed-effects model to evaluate WTP between treatment groups at 3 and 6 months. The model controlled for baseline covariates that predicted attrition from the trial including age, gender, race, and cognition of the person with dementia and the relationship between the caregiver and person with dementia. Results: At baseline, mean WTP was $35.34 (SD=56.