Informal carers of the dementing elderly: a study of relationships

This study investigated the problems involved in caring for a dementing person in the community from the perspective of their resident informal carer. It also examined the informal carer's relationships with both the dementing person and the statutory and voluntary services. Symbolic interaction theory was applied to this study since it considers the social meanings that things have as a result of an interactional process. To investigate this process, a qualitative research methodology was employed, comprising a diary, interview and post-contact notes. The sample was gathered from multiple referral sources: health, social and voluntary services. The diagnosis of a dementia was confirmed by the individual's own GP. Many of the results from this study support previous work in the field and four recommendations arise from analysis of the data. These are that formal carers could have a greater awareness of the needs of different groups of informal carers, the needs of informal carers in the very early stages of caring for a dementing person, the informal carer's need for counselling and the different reactions to offers of respite and long-term care which are seen as depending upon the relationship between the informal carer and the dementing person.