The education of caregivers

Abstract

The importance of informal caregiving with patients with dementia has been enhanced during the last decade, namely in the promotion of quality of life and delay of institutionalized care. Several studies have reported specific characteristics associated with the caregivers role such as the subjective burden, psychological stress and, more recently, also positive variables related with caregiving. However, there is a lack of formal education of the caregivers, which creates difficulties in the way such role could be performed. We report the most important aspects that should be considered and promoted by the General and Family Medicine practitioner in the education of the caregivers. Caregivers education should be grounded in two main factors a) taking care of the patient, and b) taking care of him/herself. In this paper we also report the importance of caregiver perceived self-efficacy mechanisms as mediators between psychological stressors and depressive symptoms. We also reinforce the importance of the caregiver as an active partner of the clinician in the promotion of non-pharmacological strategies, especially in the management of behavioral problems.