Communication Problems Within Families With Patients With Dementia

Dementia in later age is an extreme hardship for the affected families. More than 90% of these patients in Bulgaria live with their families. The results from the conducted study pointed out that a big share of the specific problems of these families is related to the lack of communication skills on the part of the relatives of the patient. This was to a great extent due to the lack of information on the characteristics of the process of dementia as well as on the concurrent personality changes in the patient. This article reviews the main difficulties of the families in taking care of patients with dementia as well as clarifies appropriate psychological forms of support aimed at lowering the family distress originating from the disease.