Abstract: | The relationship between disabled elderly veteran care receivers' functional status and their in-home family caregivers' strain was examined in this study. The convenience sample was composed of 93 dyads. Data were obtained from care receivers' health care records and included the Folstein Mini-Mental State Examination (MMS), Activities of Daily Living (ADL), Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (ADL), and Robinson's Caregiver Strain Index (CSI). Major findings were: 52% of caregivers experienced significant strain; 59% of care receivers were cognitively impaired to some extent and were severely impaired in IADL and ADL; and the relationships between care receivers' functional status (cognitive, ADL and IADL) and caregiver strain were statistically significant. |