Research undertaken in the US by Penn State University and the Benjamin Rose Institute has concluded that unpaid, untrained carers can ‘experience overwhelming stress’ when caring for elderly relatives with dementia. The survey report, published in the ‘Aging & Mental Health’ journal, describes how, for many carers, continued stress often leads to depression and nervous breakdowns. The article looks at how different types of stress make the problem even worse, as traditional ways of coping will not help. Lead author Steven Zarit explains: ‘The family has to pay the physical, emotional, and financial cost of the caring, which can be staggering. When the caregiver gets overwhelmed, it raises the probability of a breakdown in the care situation.’
In other dementia news, the Alzheimer’s Society is calling for all hospital nurses to receive formal dementia training. Despite the fact that up to 25% of hospital beds are occupied by patients suffering from dementia, most nurses have received ‘inadequate’ training in caring for their needs, and many dementia patients are leaving hospital in poorer health than when they arrived. The Alzheimer’s Society has made its recommendation to the Nursing & Midwifery Council as part of a recent consultation process.
