Concept Analysis: Alzheimer's Caregiver Stress.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this article was to analyze the concept of caregiver stress in the context of caring for a person with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias.


BACKGROUND
Currently, there are more than 15 million unpaid caregivers for persons suffering from Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. This unpaid care can be stressful for caregivers due to the chronic nature of the disease process, as well as other factors.


METHODS
The paper incorporates the modified method of Wilson's concept analysis procedure to analyze the concept of caregiver stress.


METHODS
A review of the literature was undertaken using the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Google Scholar, and PubMed.


RESULTS
A theoretical definition of caregiver stress is provided, and the defining attributes, related concepts, antecedents, and consequences of caregiver stress are proposed, and case studies are presented.


CONCLUSIONS
The analysis demonstrates that caregiver stress is the unequal exchange of assistance among people who stand in close relationship to one another, which results in emotional and physical stress on the caregiver. Implications for future nursing research and practice conclude the paper.
University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT.
Sarah
http://orcid.org/0000-0001-5598-3348
S
Llanque
Linfield-Good Samaritan School of Nursing, Portland, OR.
Lynette
L
Savage
Linfield College, Portland, OR.
Neal
N
Rosenburg
University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT.
Michael
M
Caserta
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000628:therapy*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D005195:Family Relations / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015399:Nursing Research; D012944:Social Support; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009626:Terminology as Topic
Alzheimer's disease; caregiver burden; caregiver stress; concept analysis; dementia