Dementia

Background: Caring for a family member with dementia is stressful. This study explores carers' experiences of leisure-based art-making, and its contribution to psychological well-being. Method: This study interviewed six women (>60 years old) with lengthy experience of caring for a relative with dementia. All engaged regularly in art-making. Findings were inferred through Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Results: Participation in art-making promoted positive identity, and resilience for care-giving.

This study examines the economic and psychological costs of care for family carers of people with dementia in Ireland. The analysis is based on an opportunistic survey of 98 carers of people with dementia. The article presents new findings on Irish carers' own perceptions of optimal care provision and the value of the care provided in monetary terms. Family carers in the survey provide an average of just under 12 hours of specified care each day to people with dementia.

Good care is often positioned as a natural by-product of the widespread availability of good information (‘inform to care’). This paper contests this association through empirical investigation of the information–care relationship in the context of dementia care.

To evaluate whether a therapeutic garden can improve the quality of life of aged care residents with dementia and their carers, objective instruments as well as interviews with residents, staff, and family members were employed.

The experience of being a carer of a person with dementia at the end of life is expressed in these 12 accounts. This is a synthesis of the concerns and challenges for carers at the end of life. These accounts are often insightful and provide several views of carers’ and professionals’ experience. Having a close relationship as a carer gives a unique and poignant view. What emerges from this review is a range of perspectives that provide contrasting views of the heterogeneity of carers and professionals.

The study aims to give an understanding of the perspectives of younger people with dementia and their carers and to make recommendations on future service delivery, policy development and practice. The report begins with an extensive literature review, followed by details of the study methodology. In-depth interviews with six sufferers and six carers were undertaken. The findings are reported with liberal use of quotations from the study participants to ensure the voice of sufferers and carers is heard. Sufferers' perceptions of their world are given prominence.

Objective: The effectiveness of psychosocial interventions in treating people with dementia and their carers is increasingly emphasised in the literature. Dementia guidelines should summarise the scientific evidence and best practice that is currently available, therefore, it should include recommendations for psychosocial interventions.

New coping programme alleviates depression and does it cost effectively. 

Reports on findings from the carer component of the Gwynedd Dementia Study. It is based on carer interviews, using quantitative and qualitative data. It describes the carers, their perceptions of their dependents' problems, the common challenges they face, their experiences of formal and informal support and, with reference to the literature, identifies implications for policy and practice. Levels of formal service inputs were low, but most of the carers appeared to receive the services they needed.

Dementia is a neurodegenerative disorder that can have a severe effect on the quality of life of individuals with the condition, and can place considerable strain on informal carers and healthcare systems. Research is required to identify ways to prevent or delay the onset of dementia. The government is committed to dementia research, yet funding for dementia research is eclipsed by funding for research into other conditions. Moreover, dementia research can only progress if individuals with the condition participate in research studies.