In the theoretical part of my thesis, the focus is on older people in today's society and on dementia, as well as on relatives as the caregivers and on their awareness and acceptance of dementia when it is diagnosed. The number of people with dementia is growing, and with the advancement of the disease so is the need for assistance in order to be able to satisfy one’s basic needs, so the family members very often find themselves in the role of caregivers. To obtain relevant data about the needs and views of caregivers, I used partially structured interviews, which I then qualitatively analysed in the empirical part. In my research, I focused on how relatives recognized and accepted dementia. I wanted to find out how well they were informed about this brain disease and how their lives changed with the diagnosis. Moreover, I was interested in how they felt when the person with dementia was sent to a home for the older people and how they saw the transience of life in connection with dementia. The results of the analysis showed that the development of the disease was unique for each person – it was demonstrated in different ways, therefore the relatives accepted it differently. However, they usually experienced negative feelings, because they were not prepared for such a diagnosis and they often attributed it to old age. They turned to their general practitioner, a psychiatrist or friends for help. Some of them wanted to find out more about dementia, others did not. The everyday lives of some relatives changed because they had to take care of a person with dementia, while some relatives experienced no change in their everyday lives. Nonetheless, most of them felt overburdened. What often presented a big change for the relatives was sending a person with dementia to a home for the older people. Some relatives felt relief and happiness, while others experienced sadness, insecurity and feelings of guilt. Nevertheless, family is what gives a person with dementia a feeling of safety and acceptance. Relatives see transience as a circle of life from birth to death and do not think about it.
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