Coping with dementia at home : an exploration of the main concerns involved in informal caregiving

Abstract

The care of the elderly has gained increased exposure over the years and great advances have been made in this field to address the rising demands of the service users. This is mainly attributed to the increased life expectancy and the knowledge that as people grow older, the higher are the probabilities of developing a disability or a cognitive impairment. This research study attempts to investigate the main concerns involved in caregiving of dementia through the use of a comparative analysis. The sample population was identified from Zammit Clapp Hospital's Dementia Clinic and the occupational health services. The sample consisted of twelve carers, half are providing in-home care while the others live in a separate household from the care-receivers. A one-to-one structured interview was used for the study. Open and closed ended questions were used to provide the researcher with more detail about the carer's feelings and concerns related to their role and towards their care recipient. The results obtained were analysed both quantitively and qualitatively. This study found that carers providing in-home care are more susceptible to anguish. The communication between the carers' and their care-receivers was found to contribute to a greater source of stress. The findings also suggest that in-home care providers dedicate more time to the care receiver and as a consequence have less time for themselves. However, most carers were found to achieve some source of gratification out of their role. In view of the findings obtained from this small-scale study and the literature outlined in the literature review, a set of recommendations are being presented for further research.