Introduction: Taking care of a person suffering from dementia is a task usually undertaken by the closest family members. We call them informal care-givers. Due to the progressive nature of the illness and lack of knowledge in taking care of a family member they encounter a number of different obstacles. Purpose: We wanted to determine how family members experience taking care of a dementia patient and how they face this new role in their life. We also wanted to check what is the role of an occupational therapist and in what ways they are able to make this task easier both to the family members and the patient suffering from dementia. Methods of work: We conducted the survey with ten family members, who have been taking care of a member of their family for a longer period of time. Nine were female, and only one male, aged between 30 and 69 years. We obtained data using a semi-structured interview, which has been recorded (audio) with the permission of the participants. Results: Through the process of qualitative analysis we were able to form three different topics: 1) the effect of dementia on a person, 2) coping with the role of the care-giver and 3) maintaining their own daily activities. The illness brought various changes in all areas of life to the lives of the family members. Due to lack of knowledge and time they face various burdens, some have accepted it as their sole life responsibility. Most often they sought non-formal forms of help, namely help of close family members and friends. The second most frequent form of help was help in their own home. Discussion and conclusion: The results have shown that occupational therapy is a relatively unknown medical profession, but one that would be of critical importance in the beginning stage of dementia. Occupational therapists would be able to work in a multidisciplinary home team and day care. Even in the beginning stage of the illness they would be able to advise the family members and educate them on different possible approaches, which would lengthen the independence of persons with dementia and improve their skills. Additionally, they could advise family members on how to adapt the home environment and how to use various aids.
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