De anhörigas sjukdom

: Anhörigas upplevelser av att vårda personer med Alzheimers sjukdom

Abstract

Background: In Sweden there are about 160 000 people who are suffering from some form of dementia and of those suffering around 60% of them has Alzheimer's disease. Approximately half a million Swedes are expected to be relatives of someone affected by Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's is sometimes called the relatives' disease, because it is a life-changing situation both for the victim and the family. Purpose: To describe relatives' experiences of caring for people with Alzheimer's disease. Method: The study was carried out as a general literature study. Results: The results showed that many emotions were felt by the relatives during the course of the disease, such as concern for the future and a great sadness at the diagnosis. Many young families’ situations perceived as especially difficult when they were still in need of their parents. Conclusion: As a nurse it is vital to see both the patients and the relatives’ situation in good time to give the family the support and information they might need to be able to continue to live as a family until the terminal stage.