Connell C M, Janevic M R, Gallant M P
Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA.
J Geriatr Psychiatry Neurol. 2001 Winter;14(4):179-87. doi: 10.1177/089198870101400403.
With the aging of the population, an increasing number of older adults are diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder. Most people with a dementing illness will be cared for at home by a family member, who may experience a variety of physical, emotional, financial, and social burdens associated with the caregiving role. The purpose of this article is to (a) examine the physical and psychological effects of providing care to a family member with a dementing illness, (b) describe the factors that help determine the nature and magnitude of these effects, and (c) discuss several approaches to caregiver intervention designed to reduce the negative impact of this challenging role. Sociodemographic characteristics (e.g., gender, relationship to the patient, culture, race, ethnicity), caregiver resources (e.g., coping, social support, availability of a companion animal), and personal characteristics (e.g., personality, health behaviors) shape the dementia caregiving experience and have implications for interventions designed to prevent or lessen the stress and burden that often accompany the role.
随着人口老龄化，越来越多的老年人被诊断患有阿尔茨海默病或相关疾病。大多数患有痴呆症的人将由家庭成员在家中照顾，而照顾者可能会经历与照顾角色相关的各种身体、情感、经济和社会负担。本文的目的是：（a）研究照顾患有痴呆症的家庭成员所产生的身体和心理影响；（b）描述有助于确定这些影响的性质和程度的因素；（c）讨论几种针对照顾者的干预方法，旨在减少这一具有挑战性的角色所带来的负面影响。社会人口学特征（如性别、与患者的关系、文化、种族、民族）、照顾者资源（如应对方式、社会支持、是否有陪伴动物）和个人特征（如性格、健康行为）塑造了痴呆症照顾经历，并对旨在预防或减轻该角色通常伴随的压力和负担的干预措施具有影响。
