Dementia and CareGiver Stress

Some dementia sufferers are living with their spouse or other family. Among this group there arises the potential problem of caregiver stress. The very considerable burden of looking after an ageing spouse or parent with dementia is well recognised in the literature. If the caregiver receives no help in coping (including help in recognising the cause of the person's demanding behaviour, and respite from it) then mistreatment of the sufferer may result. A recent Swedish survey found that caregivers (mostly spouses and children) reported a significantly higher rate of abusive behaviour on their own part against dementia sufferers than a control group of caregivers looking after normal elderly people of the same age (Grafstrom 1993).

Conversely, it must be recognised that many caregivers in this situation are themselves elderly and at risk of abuse at the hands of the dementia sufferer.
Some studies estimate that more than half of dementia sufferers manifest some form of aggressive behaviour-that is, verbal outbursts, physical threats or violence (Paveza 1992). On the other hand, a recent British study of dementia sufferers living in the community found that disturbed behaviour was relatively infrequent. Only 10 per cent of markedly demented, community-resident persons were described by their caregivers as noisy, 5 per cent as aggressive and 6 per cent as prone to wandering. When these problems arose, however, they were strongly associated with caregiver stress (O'Connor et al. 1990).

More than 100,000 Australians suffer from dementia. There will be a 20 per cent rise in the number of aged people with dementia between 1991 and 1996, mainly because of the rapid growth in the number of people aged 80 and over. The condition affects as many as a quarter of people in this age group.

In terms of neglect, the most at-risk group is those sufferers who are living alone. They comprise about a quarter of all those with dementia living in the community.

SOURCE: HealthVic
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