Caring for a person living with dementia: identifying and assessing a carer's needs

As the population ages and so do the numbers of people with dementia, there will also be an increase in the number of unpaid family carers. Estimates suggest that one in three of us will become a carer for someone with dementia during our lifetime, some caring for more than one person diagnosed with dementia in their family. There are currently over 700 000 people in the UK acting as primary unpaid carers for people with dementia, all of whom make a substantial contribution, both financially and physically, to their care and support. Carers of people with dementia can experience high levels of carer burden and distress as well poor health and wellbeing due to their caring roles. However, they can sometimes be less than visible to health and social care services as they may not identify themselves as carers or their needs may not be easily recognised which leaves them at risk. Identifying people in caring roles and assessing their needs are the first two steps in supporting them. Community nurses are well placed to do this within their roles.