Dementia

Background and Objectives: People with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) exhibit losses in daily function, as well as behavioral and psychological symptoms, that place a great deal of burden on family caregivers and exert a major influence on the quality of life of these individuals and their families. Despite years of intervention research in the field, there are few studies related to the impact of providing care for a person with ADRD on the family as the unit of analysis.

Aims: The aim is to develop and test an integrative model based on the stress and coping paradigm and the existential paradigm, to explain positive aspects of caregiving among family caregivers of persons with dementia. Design: A mixed method research, comprises a longitudinal exploratory study and a descriptive qualitative study. Methods: A total of 370 family caregivers will be recruited from community elderly centres.

This report reviews the support available to informal carers of people with dementia, with specific attention being given to carers’ assessments (or “check ins”) and the provision of short breaks for carers. Evidence for this research was collected from a range of sources, including via desk-based research, a survey of directors of adult social care, a request to local authorities for data, interviews with senior leaders and commissioners in adult social care, a survey of professionals, a survey of carers, and workshops held in England and Wales with people living with dementia and carers.

Background and Objectives: Few studies explore both negative and positive perspectives of family members who relinquish home care of a family member with dementia for systemic aged care. Research Design and Methods: This phenomenological study sought the 'lived' experience of relinquishing the role of home carer for a family member with mild to severe dementia to others within care home settings, by seeking to understand the impact of aged care on family members' psychological well-being.

Background: Technology-based tools, including remote activity monitoring (RAM) systems, have been proposed as valuable aids for family caregivers of people with dementia. Previous analyses have shown limited effects of these systems and highlighted a number of barriers, including false alarms. Methods: We used data from an ongoing embedded mixed method randomized controlled intervention to describe patterns of alerts and their association with receipt of the RAM system and caregiver outcomes.

Background: Caregivers are generally family members of the person and may experience psychological difficulties and may need psychological help. [...]the aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) based interventions applied to family caregivers of people with dementia. [...]in this study, it is aimed to make a systematic review of the effects of CBT-based interventions on family caregivers of people with dementia.

Objectives: Dementia research and services in Pakistan are limited. The following was explored in experiences of family caregivers of people with dementia in Pakistan: (a) to determine whether culture and religion play a role in caregiving; (b) to draw insights on how family caregivers cope, what barriers they face and what help they would be willing to accept and (c) to determine how these findings could be used to raise awareness and influence public policies in improving the lives of families living with dementia.

Background: The notion of stigma and its influence on the understanding of dementia has commonly been recognized as a great challenge to seeking healthcare services for South Asians in England. Aim: The aim of this commentary is to examine how Muslims view, understand and tackle dementia stigma in the context of revivalist Islam, especially among Bangladeshi Muslims within their British communities.

Background: Family carers of people living with dementia often need support with making decisions about care. Many find end-of-life care decisions particularly difficult. The aim of this article is to present an evidence- and theoretical-based process for developing a decision aid to support family carers of people with dementia towards the end-of-life.

Background: Siblings often share in the care of parents with dementia, but little is known about how care is shared. Research suggests that in comparison with their brothers, sisters provide the majority of care to a parent with dementia and this can contribute to the sisters experiencing poorer health outcomes. There is limited knowledge about how to guide siblings who share in the care of a parent with dementia. Aim: Our qualitative descriptive study sought to explore the experiences of adult daughters sharing care responsibilities with their siblings.