The project focused on the needs and support of family caregivers of elderly people with dementia in the Czech Republic. It was carried out in cooperation between Charles University, Prague and the Czech Alzheimer Society, during 2016-2018.
Preliminary results - based on interviews, focus groups, survey questionnaire, and intervention assessment - showed that the existing interventions meet the informational needs of carers (educational courses) and psychological needs (support groups and counselling). Carers, however, lacked practically-oriented and individualised interventions such as skills training and case management.
It seems that the experience of caring for spouses is different from that of adult children caring for their parents. Not surprisingly, carers’ needs in the early stages of care differ from late-stage needs, also. It was alarming, though, how much external conditions can complicate solving the crucial tasks of care. A difficult pathway to diagnose and to proper care was stark example.
The project also explored barriers that prevent relatives from participating in group interventions.
