Family stress related to home care of Alzheimer's disease patients and implications for support.

Family caregivers of the Alzheimer's disease (AD) patient experience stress throughout the changing disease process. In this article, the burden experienced by the family of the AD patient is discussed. A current review of AD, motivational factors of caregiving, theories of coping with stress, health effects of caregiver burden and sources of caregiver stress are explored. Most importantly, the multidimensional role of the nurse in meeting the family's physical, psychosocial and environmental needs is reviewed. A case study is presented to illustrate selected intervention techniques.