The families of the institutionalized dementing elderly: A preliminary study of stress in a French caregiver population

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

The present study describes the development of a measure of stress in the family caregivers of institutionalized dementing elders using a brief two‐dimensional scale. Univariate and multivariate analysis of the responses of 257 French adult caregivers to the scale suggest that a year after the admission to care unhappiness is expressed by a third of the population, principally due to exclusion from the caregiving role, financial burden, problems with family and poor contact with staff. Responses appear to be independent of the degree of dementia, the presence of associated pathology in the institionalized elder and recency of admission. Significantly greater satisfaction with care lower levels of stress were reported by caregivers with a relative in non‐medical communal care as opposed to a long‐stay hospital.