Fujita, Kimie

Background: Family caregivers of people with dementia (PWDs) experience significant physical, psychological, and social burdens. Empowerment, which refers to the process of gaining power in society through behavioral change, is important to coping successfully with care-related burdens. The high burden of care faced by family caregivers in Japan often makes accepting social support difficult for caregivers of PWDs, resulting in feelings of isolation.

Aim: This study aimed to develop the empowerment scale for family caregivers of community-dwelling people with dementia (PWD) in Japan (EFCD) and to validate the scale. Methods: The questionnaires were mailed to 820 family caregivers of PWD. The first version of the EFCD based on interviews with family caregivers and elderly care specialists and content validity results was tested. Participants also completed the Revised Scale for Caregiving Self-Efficacy and the General Health Questionnaire.

Aim This concept analysis defined and described the components of empowerment of family caregivers who care for adults and the elderly. Methods Rodgers evolutionary method of concept analysis was used. Data sources included Pub Med, CINAHL, Scopus, and Igaku Chuo Zasshi. Thirty articles published between 1995 and 2015 focusing on the empowerment of family caregivers providing care to adults and the elderly were selected. Result The analysis reveals 6 attributes, 5 antecedents, and 5 consequences.