Dementia is an umbrella term for several diseases that are characterised by memory disorders, communication disorders and impaired reasoning. The World Health Organisation currently estimates the number of people living with dementia to be 47.5 million. They predict this number will reach 135.5 million by 2050, due to the increasingly aging world population (World Health Organisation, 2015). Dementia can have a devastating impact on the lives of people with a diagnosis and their families. There is currently no known cure for dementia, so efforts should focus on improving quality of life (QoL) for people with dementia (PwD) and their caregivers.
PwD and their caregivers have an increased risk of depression, a mood disorder that causes loss …show more content…
The variability in the literature could be partly due to the symptoms depression and dementia have in common, which make differential diagnosis difficult (Cipriani, Lucetti, Carlesi, Danti, & Nuti 2015). Furthermore, methods of assessment and diagnostic criteria vary across the literature and can be unreliable. For example, several studies rely on information provided by family caregivers to measure depression. Yet, Mackenzie, Robiner and Knopman found that their participants with Alzheimer’s disease had a depression rate of 13.9%, whereas data collected from their families suggested that the rate was 50% (1989). Moreover, many studies do not control for type or stage of dementia. It is important to do so because depression acts differently in different types of dementia and at varying levels of disability. For example, people with vascular or Lewy-body dementia are at a higher risk of developing depression, and of having more severe symptoms, than people with Alzheimer’s disease (Ballard, Bannister, Solis, Oyebode & Wilcock, 1996 and Sadak et al. 2014; Andreasen, Lonnroos, & Euler-Cheplin, 2013). This increased risk could be due to different structural changes in the brain or because people with vascular dementia and Lewy-body dementia tend to retain an insight and awareness for longer than people with …show more content…
A recent study found that out of 200 family caregivers for PwD, over 43% were depressed (Loi, 2015). This may be due to the prolonged and unpredictable nature of caring for PwD, and the limited feedback and gratitude caregivers often receive (Pinquart & Sorensen, 2003). Several factors have been found to increase the risk of caregiver depression: low educational background (Lou et al. 2015), being the spouse of the PwD (Adler et al, 1996), when the PwD has depression (Donaldson, Tarrier, & Burns, 1998), and the level of the PwD’s problematic behaviour (Givens and colleagues, 2014). A meta-analysis concluded that time spent caring is a significant predictor of caregiver depression (Pinquart and Sorensen, 2007). This might be because caregivers of PwD spend less time involved in pleasurable activities and have higher levels of social isolation (Brodaty, 2009). Alternatively, it could be argued that increased caring time allows more opportunities to experience the benefits of caring (Pinquart and Sorensen, 2004). One study found that caregivers of people with early onset dementia were less depressed when the PwD received domiciliary nursing care (Rosness, Mjorud & Knut, 2011). Conversely, when PwD are placed in a nursing home, caregivers can experience an increase in depressive symptoms, despite the decrease in direct care obligations (Tornatore & Grant, 2002). Strategies to reduce caregiver depression should
PwD and their caregivers have an increased risk of depression, a mood disorder that causes loss …show more content…
The variability in the literature could be partly due to the symptoms depression and dementia have in common, which make differential diagnosis difficult (Cipriani, Lucetti, Carlesi, Danti, & Nuti 2015). Furthermore, methods of assessment and diagnostic criteria vary across the literature and can be unreliable. For example, several studies rely on information provided by family caregivers to measure depression. Yet, Mackenzie, Robiner and Knopman found that their participants with Alzheimer’s disease had a depression rate of 13.9%, whereas data collected from their families suggested that the rate was 50% (1989). Moreover, many studies do not control for type or stage of dementia. It is important to do so because depression acts differently in different types of dementia and at varying levels of disability. For example, people with vascular or Lewy-body dementia are at a higher risk of developing depression, and of having more severe symptoms, than people with Alzheimer’s disease (Ballard, Bannister, Solis, Oyebode & Wilcock, 1996 and Sadak et al. 2014; Andreasen, Lonnroos, & Euler-Cheplin, 2013). This increased risk could be due to different structural changes in the brain or because people with vascular dementia and Lewy-body dementia tend to retain an insight and awareness for longer than people with …show more content…
A recent study found that out of 200 family caregivers for PwD, over 43% were depressed (Loi, 2015). This may be due to the prolonged and unpredictable nature of caring for PwD, and the limited feedback and gratitude caregivers often receive (Pinquart & Sorensen, 2003). Several factors have been found to increase the risk of caregiver depression: low educational background (Lou et al. 2015), being the spouse of the PwD (Adler et al, 1996), when the PwD has depression (Donaldson, Tarrier, & Burns, 1998), and the level of the PwD’s problematic behaviour (Givens and colleagues, 2014). A meta-analysis concluded that time spent caring is a significant predictor of caregiver depression (Pinquart and Sorensen, 2007). This might be because caregivers of PwD spend less time involved in pleasurable activities and have higher levels of social isolation (Brodaty, 2009). Alternatively, it could be argued that increased caring time allows more opportunities to experience the benefits of caring (Pinquart and Sorensen, 2004). One study found that caregivers of people with early onset dementia were less depressed when the PwD received domiciliary nursing care (Rosness, Mjorud & Knut, 2011). Conversely, when PwD are placed in a nursing home, caregivers can experience an increase in depressive symptoms, despite the decrease in direct care obligations (Tornatore & Grant, 2002). Strategies to reduce caregiver depression should