American journal of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias
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Am J Alzheimers Dis Other Demen · Jul 2004
Stress in the caregivers of Alzheimer's patients: an experimental investigation in Italy.
In Italy, the family constitutes the major caregiving response to the needs of the elderly who are no longer self-sufficient. These caregivers are often wives or daughters who have chosen to keep the patient at home with them. On average, three-quarters of the caregiver's day is devoted to the patient, a proportion that tends to increase linearly as the disease progresses. ⋯ The burden becomes heavier as the disease progresses, since the increase of cognitive disorders and the resulting reduction of independence in daily life, together with the onset of behavioral symptoms, heighten the caregiver's distress, anxiety, and depression. Establishing a network of community services able to alleviate the burden on families is therefore a priority. Parallels can be drawn between the stresses documented for American caregivers and their Italian counterparts.