It is well-documented that long-term, unrelieved caregiving duties, especially when caring for loved ones with dementia, can have negative impacts on the health, personal, social and/or financial well-being of the caregiver.  Depression and a sense a well-being become significant factors to evaluate. 

The Caregiver Center utilizes the Zarit Burden Interview to assess a caregiver's perception of "burden" to see if those areas are being affected, with a focus on depression, mental health, negative affect, social support, stress and coping (American Psychological Association), as well as the PHQ-9 Depression Screening tool.

The PHq-9 is a "multipurpose instrument for screening, diagnosing, monitoring and measuring the severity of depression" (National Institute of Health), and utilizes a brief self-report tool.  The tool rates the frequency of symptoms which factors in the scoring severity index.

Camarillo Health Care District's use and/or results of the PHQ-9 is not a diagnosis.  It is outside of the District's scope to diagnose.  Self-reported answers indicate scores that can be measured against the categories listed on the tool, with further desription. It is imperative that you consult your physician for symptoms of depression.

Please take a moment to schedule a 1/2 hour conversation with our Health Coach to help assess your status, and connect you to resources.  Please call 800-900-8582.