Journal of Alzheimers Disease & Parkinsonism
Open Access

Abstract

Demographic trends regarding the issue of aging underscore the fact that both current situations and future trends directly concern all of us. Dementia is seriously disabling for those who have it and is often devastating for their caregivers and families. Improving the awareness and understanding of dementia across all levels of society is needed to decrease discrimination and to improve the quality of life by reducing stress, burden and increase in the social support for people with dementia and their caregivers. The present study has adopted a descriptive research design for the purpose of the study covering 50 caregivers to assess the stress, burden, social support, and desire to institutionalization among caregivers of persons with dementia who are seeking treatment from geriatric clinic services in NIMHANS. Data gathered by using standardized scales like The Perceived Stress Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, The Zarit Burden Interview, and The Desire to institutionalization scale. Results show that there is a significant relation between burden, stress, social support from family, friends, significant others and desire to institutionalization among the caregivers of persons with dementia. Results indicate that this personal stressful feeling of caregiver burden which may be high and more troublesome in countries like India gives way to thought about institutionalization of patients with dementia. The results of the study might have been influenced by culture and inadequate availability of dementia care facilities in India and thus warrants further similar studies to be conducted in India and other developing countries

Biography

Sherin Yohannan, PhD scholar in the department of Psychiatric Social Work, NIMHANS, Bangalore, India. My research area is on Dementia care. Currently I am working on the topic " Psychosocial support for families of persons with dementia through home based care programme". I completed my M.Phil. in Psychiatric social work from NIMHANS in 2015 and my dissertation was on stress, burden, social support and desire to institutionalization among caregivers of persons with dementia. I have completed my Masters in Social Work with the specialization in Medical and Psychiatric Social Work from BCM College, India in the year 2012.