The Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease: Spouse's Perspectives

Abstract

Alzheimer's disease is a chronic illness in which the needs of the family can outweigh those of the impaired person. This study explored the impact of a diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease from the perspective of the caregiving spouse in the first 6 months following diagnosis. During the process of data collection and analysis, two groups of caregivers emerged: for the grief group, the foremost problem was grief at the loss of a beloved partner and relationship; the major problem confronting the role strain group was coping with the increasing responsibilities of caregiving. The central determining factor was the quality of each couple's previous relationship. Findings are discussed in terms of differences in subjective and objective burden, and the article concludes with a look at the implications for health care professionals.