title: The Impact of Dementia on Family Caregivers: What Is Research Teaching Us?
abstract: Dementia family caregiving has been the focus of research for decades. Much has been learned about the negative impact of caregiving as well as characteristics that may be protective. This paper explores themes in caregiving pertinent to clinicians and researchers working with dementia family caregivers: the psychological, subjective, and physical outcomes of caregiving, ways in which dementia alters relationships between the patient and caregiver, and strategies for improving outcomes for caregivers. Suggestions for next steps in research and clinical care are made.
authors.affiliation: UCSF Department of Neurology, Memory and Aging Center, 675 Nelson Rising Lane, Suite 190, San Francisco, CA, 94158-1207, USA. jennifer.merrilees@ucsf.edu.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Merrilees
mesh_terms: D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D003704:Dementia / Q000451:nursing*; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans
keywords: Alzheimer’s disease caregivers; Alzheimer’s disease caregiving; Dementia caregivers; Dementia caregiving