In this master's thesis, the experiences of informal caregivers of people with dementia in the Gorenjska region are studied. In the initial part, the concept of dementia is defined. Then the needs of people with dementia, communication with people with dementia, informal care for people with dementia and the needs of caregivers of people with dementia are described. Later forms of help and support for informal caregivers, long-term care for people with dementia and social work with people with dementia are presented.
In the empirical part, ten interviews on non-probability convenience sample with informal caregivers of people with dementia in the Gorenjska region were conducted. Main goal of interviews was to discover how informal caregivers experience caring for a person with dementia and how everyday communication with a person with dementia takes place. Through qualitative interviews, it was discovered what difficulties informal caregivers face when caring for a person with dementia and what their needs are. Main emphasis was put on what kind of help is available to caregivers of people with dementia in the local environment and how they manage their workload.
The findings of the research showed that the interviewed informal caregivers interviewed provide quality and appropriate help to their relatives. When caring for a relative with dementia, they are helped by knowledge about dementia and previous experiences working with a person with dementia. Communicating with a person with dementia requires communication skills and the skills of an informal carer. Most of the problems encountered in caring for a person with dementia arise from the behavioral and psychological changes of the person with dementia. Caring for a person with dementia affects the mental health of the informal carer. Formal forms of assistance are often inaccessible, both financially and in terms of long waiting lists. They have little or no knowledge of the social welfare services offered by the social work center. Informal caregivers provide relaxation activities, household and other tasks to relieve the burden.
The main proposals arising from the research are: greater cooperation between medical institutions and centers for social work, the establishment of programs to help informal caregivers at the center for social work, help for informal caregivers to prevent burnout, the arrangement of more day care units for people with dementia in the Gorenjska region, organizing training sessions on the importance of relieving stress and taking care of yourself and expanding the socializing program offered by Spominčica. The municipality and social work centers should make informal caregivers of people with dementia aware of the available forms of help available to them in the local environment.
|
