Family attitudes to caring for the elderly mentally infirm at home

Attitudes towards care-giving were examined in a sample of 129 supporters of elderly mentally infirm patients referred for psychogeriatric day care. As in previous studies, spouses felt more commitment to care-giving than other relatives. Commitment to care-giving was influenced by different factors in adult children and spouses, but consistently predicted subsequent decisions to institutionalize the dependant. Following institutionalization, most supporters felt relieved. They tended to perceive the decision to have been made by others, and to have resulted from a deterioration in their dependents' mental condition, rather than a failure of the care-giving relationship.