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OBJECTIVES: To examine caregiver burden over time in caregivers of patients with advanced chronic disease.

DESIGN: Observational cohort with interviews over 12 months.

SETTING: Community.

PARTICIPANTS: Caregivers of 179 community‐living persons aged 60 and older with advanced cancer, heart failure (HF), or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

MEASUREMENTS: Caregiver burden was assessed using a short‐form of the Zarit Burden Inventory to measure psychosocial distress.

RESULTS: At baseline, the median caregiver burden was 5 (interquartile range (IQR) 1–11), which indicates that the caregiver endorsed having at least two of 10 distressing concerns at least some of the time. Only 10% reported no burden. Although scores increased modestly over time, the association between time and burden was not significant in longitudinal multivariable analysis. High burden was …