The Use of Family Decision Meetings When Addressing Caregiver Stress

Abstract

This article focuses on the literature about Family Decision Meetings for relatives caring for older people sufering from Alzheimer's Disease. There is emphasis in this literature on the special problems faced by families in which the symptoms of the disease include troubling behavioral changes, as well as loss of cognitive abilities. particular attention is paid to the families who try to manage without agency-provided services, and without the partnership of agency staff. A number interventions are listed, with detailed description of the Family Decision Meeting and the value of this strategy for caregiving families.