This study examined the role of caregiver attitudinal variables, while controlling for other vari
ables, in explaining the use of homemaking services, personal care services, transportation,
caregiver services, and the number of services used in a sample of 82 wives of community-
dwelling dementia care recipients. Seven scales measuring caregiver attitudes were empirically
developed Attitudes representing caregiver preference for informal care, trust in service provid
ers, and service inconvenience were associated with community service use. Together, the seven
scales representing caregiver attitudes improved the explanatory models developed to explain
the use of homemaking services, caregiver services, and the number of types of community ser
vices used but not the models that explain the use of personal care or transportation services.
These findings support the use of taking caregiver attitudes into account in attempts to under
stand community service use in dementia care.
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