• ClemmensenTrine HoltTHhttps://orcid.org/0000-0002-6080-8883Health Sciences Research Centre, UCL University College, Odense, Denmark.Institute of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark., Henrik Hein Lauridsen, Karen Andersen-Ranberg, and Hanne Kaae Kristensen.
• Health Sciences Research Centre, UCL University College, Odense, Denmark.
• Scand J Caring Sci. 2021 Jun 1; 35 (2): 586-599.

BackgroundCaring for a person with dementia predisposes informal carers (carers) to mental and physical disability. Carers tend to focus on the needs of the person with dementia and have difficulties expressing their own needs for support. No instrument has yet been developed to directly assess carers' support needs. The aim of this study is to clarify the main categories of carers' support needs to inform future development of an instrument to assess carers' support needs.MethodsA qualitative approach combining focus group interviews with carers and professionals and individual interviews were used.ResultsCarers' support needs were categorised into four areas: (i) daily life when caring for a person with dementia, (ii) focus on themselves, (iii) maintain own well-being, and (iv) communicate and interact with surroundings.DiscussionCarers have support needs in common regardless of the relation to the person with dementia. Carers tend to focus on the needs of the person with dementia, thus not knowing their own needs. The four main categories clarified in this study may inform the foundation of developing an instrument to facilitate dialogue between carers and professionals with the purpose of assessing carers' support needs.© 2020 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Nordic College of Caring Science.

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