Better Support Needed for Thousands of Informal Dementia Carers

A study published in Dementia determined the direct involvement of the thousands of "informal carers" for persons with dementia in the evaluation of individual symptoms and behavior could offer better insights for healthcare professionals and help alleviate feelings of stress, guilt, and isolation, reports ScienceDaily . Earlier research found informal caregivers often exhibit higher levels of depression and stress and poor self-rated health, as well as greater feelings of entrapment and guilt leading to further depression and a lack of self-belief in the quality of the care that they can provide. "Our study has recognized a need for better information and education not only for carers but for healthcare professionals to create a better and more empathetic understanding of the physical and behavioral deterioration of the disease as well as surrounding issues like financial pressures and modifying the home environment to compensate for individuals' every day difficulties," says University of Lincoln Professor Niroshan Siriwardena. The study also demonstrated that caregivers have a key role to play in the monitoring of care recipients' behavior and behavioral triggers, notes University of Lincoln Professor Terence Karran. "It was felt that keeping a daily diary of symptoms and behaviour could help to empower caregivers as well as improving communications with healthcare professionals," he says.