Family members’ experience in caring for elderly with dementia in long-term care hospitals

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to provide an in-depth understanding of and effective support system for those caring for family members with dementia in long-term care hospitals. Methods: Participants included 10 family caregivers who constantly visited and cared for demented elderly for over 6 months after being admitted to long-term care hospitals. Data were collected through face-to-face, one-on-one, in-depth semistructured interviews with individual participants from October 2018 to March 2019. Data were analyzed using the Colaizzi method. Results: Three categories emerged in this study: Sharing care for the elderly with dementia with long-term care hospitals; Feeling the pain from caring; Caring for the elderly with dementia forms the center of my life. As a result, participants were able to experience reaffirming their caring difficulties as they faced unsatisfactory spaces in long-term care hospitals, conflicting roles among family members, re-examination of life, and time to reflect on themselves. Conclusion: An in-depth understanding of caregivers’ experiences will suggest developing a policy to reduce family caregivers’ burden when caring for elderly family members with dementia in long-term care hospitals and to support effective care.