The experiences of family caregivers of people with advanced dementia living in nursing homes, with a specific focus on spouses : a narrative literature review

Hennings, Jean and Froggatt, Katherine Alison (2019) The experiences of family caregivers of people with advanced dementia living in nursing homes, with a specific focus on spouses : a narrative literature review. Dementia, 18 (1). pp. 303-322. ISSN 1471-3012

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Abstract

Dementia affects individuals, families and their relationships. While there is increasing evidence about the experiences of family caregivers of people with dementia, relatively little is known of their experiences when their relatives are living in nursing homes with dementia. This narrative literature review aimed to synthesise current knowledge about family caregivers’ experience of having relatives living in nursing homes with advanced dementia, particularly focussing on community-dwelling spouses. Using a systematic approach, textual narrative synthesis was undertaken. Four themes were identified: changing relationships, the need for companionship, adjusting to new roles and relationships and anticipating death/looking towards the future. Two additional themes were present only for spouses: changing identity – feeling married, being married; and alone but… The review demonstrates that some aspects of spouses’ experiences are different from those of other family caregivers. Longitudinal studies are required to better understand spouses’ motivations to continue caring in this context and to find ways of supporting them.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Dementia
Additional Information:
The final, definitive version of this article has been published in the Journal, Dementia, 18 (1), 2019, © SAGE Publications Ltd, 2019 by SAGE Publications Ltd at the Dementia page: https://journals.sagepub.com/home/dem on SAGE Journals Online: http://online.sagepub.com/
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1200/1202
Subjects:
?? dementia caregivingend of lifenursing homesreviewspouseshistorysociology and political sciencesocial sciences(all) ??
ID Code:
83038
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
24 Nov 2016 10:00
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
28 Nov 2023 11:50