The troubles and needs of family caregivers of older adults with moderate to severe dementia

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundTo investigate the troubles and needs of family caregivers of older adults with moderate to severe dementia.MethodA total of 401 family caregivers from Beijing, Tianjin and other regions were recruited to complete a self‐designed questionnaire.ResultThe top 5 safety risks among older adults with moderate to severe dementia were irritating cough (30.2%), falls (28.4%), outreach (27.2%), lost (19.0%), and fall of bed (12.2%). The main troubles reported by family caregivers were daily care (82.5%) and coping with psychological and behavioral problems (51.9%). The top five support needs were instruction on psychological adjustment skills (88.5%), skills to cope with psychological and behavioral problems (75.8%), daily care skills (73.1%), safety risk prevention skills (72.8%), case management and referral services (70.8%). The top five ways to access support services were online training (86.5%), online counseling (86.0%), face‐to‐face counseling (84.0%), handbooks (78.8%) and community‐based lectures (74.6%).ConclusionFamily caregivers have a variety of needs in the long‐term care of older adults with dementia. It is suggested to establish a needs‐led care support service system for family caregivers that integrates skills instruction, education and training and care services by online and off‐line approaches.