社區失智症家屬支持團體照護經驗之質性研究

A Qualitative Study on the Caring Experience of Family of Dementia Patient in the Community Support Group

Dementia is one of the leading health concern worldwide. The decline of cognitive abilities in patients with dementia adds to the burden on their primary caregiver. The purpose of this study was to explore the family caregiver support groups and caring experiences. The research approach involved seven family support group sessions with sound recording, each session lasting 100 minutes. Eleven participants were recruited from a local community service center for dementia in eastern Taiwan. The support group interview methods was content analysis, after gradually summarizing the import categories, the four main themes of the care experience of caregiver were formed: 1. caregiver difficulties, 2. Internal and external imbalance stress, 3. the power of group partner, and 4. caregiver relearning. The study used qualitative-analysis to understand how support groups change the burden on family caregivers living with dementia. Support groups were-promoted to perform in community dementia service agencies, provided necessary caring services and support for older dementia patients and caregivers, thereby improved the quality of life of both.