Publication Date

Spring 4-2023

School

School of Nursing

Major

Nursing (B.S.N.)

Keywords

Dementia, Caregiver, Family

Disciplines

Family Practice Nursing | Geriatric Nursing | Nursing | Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing | Public Health and Community Nursing

Abstract

There are an estimated 6.5 million Americans age 65 and older who are currently living with Alzheimer’s dementia. A large majority of these individuals receive care from a nonprofessional family caregiver, typically in the home setting. It is well documented that family caregivers of dementia patients experience many unique challenges. These challenges provide valuable opportunities for nurses to provide helpful interventions to aid this vulnerable population. An integrated review of the recent literature was conducted, and articles were chosen by a method modeled after the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) flowsheet. The research was then analyzed for themes and topics related to the most significant issues family caregivers face and what evidenced-based interventions to address these challenges exist. The identified areas with which caregivers struggle the most include managing the psychological and behavioral symptoms of dementia, dealing with ambiguous and anticipatory grief, feelings of isolation and unpreparedness, and physical health problems. Evidence-based interventions for these major issues include screening caregivers for the effects of caregiver burden and stress, teaching caregivers mindfulness-based interventions, encouraging mutuality between the caregiver and care-recipient, teaching strategies based on cognitive-behavioral therapeutic techniques, and connecting caregivers with resources. However, this review also illustrated the need for further research to be conducted on the effectiveness of nurse-specific interventions on supporting this vulnerable population, especially within acute-care settings.

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