%0 Journal Article
%T What motivates informal caregivers to institutionalize demented patients who were living at home
%A Thomas P
%J Revue M¨¦dicale de l'Assurance Maladie
%D 2005
%I 
%X Aims: In addition to the specific neuro-psychiatric drugs used to treat dementia, support provided by informal caregivers has become an important aspect of overall care. Demented patients are often institutionalized when their families find it too difficult to care for them at home. The aim of this study was to determine the reasons motivating the institutionalization of demented elderly patients and the different parameters involved. Method: We compared each patient¡¯s medical, neuro-psychiatric and therapeutic data with his or her socio-demographic characteristics and those of his or her caregiver and in addition, administered a questionnaire to each caregiver on the everyday difficulties he or she encountered. Results: We studied 686 caregiver-patient pairs. 444 of the enrolled demented patients were women and 242 were men; their average age was 79.3 ¡À 7.9 years. The caregivers were comprised by 469 women and 217 men; their average age was 62.1 ¡À 12.8 years. Thus, in two-thirds of the cases, the main caregiver was a woman. Cognitive difficulties were not the principal reason for institutionalization. The most frequently expressed reason given by caregivers for institutionalizing the patient was incontinence followed by loss of contact with the demented patient. By using cluster analysis of the caregivers¡¯ complaints, we were able to isolate four situation subtypes: relational difficulties with the caregiver, ethical and social behavior, loss of reality and emotional dependency. Conclusion: Both caregivers and patients experience much distress. Medications used for dementia appear to delay institutionalization to some degree. Institutionalization can be delayed by maintaining patient autonomy and providing caregivers with respite from their difficult task in order to prevent a burnout.
%K institution
%K dementia
%K Alzheimer's disease
%K depression
%K caregiver
%K family
%K therapy.
%U http://www.ameli.fr/fileadmin/user_upload/documents/Motivations_des_aidants_informels.pdf