Abstract
This poster describes Social Work's role in fostering a positive relationship between family carers and persons with dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States affecting more than five million people nationwide. The Alzheimer’s Association estimates that over 15 million caregivers provided more than 17 billion hours of unpaid care, valued at $216 billion (Alzheimer's Association, 2014). Often, caregivers are family members who provide this level of informal care. Not only are these caregivers faced with increased financial weight, physical demands, social constraints and emotional burden that is synonymous with caregiving, but they are also confronted with the specific needs and behaviors associated with Alzheimer’s or other types of dementia such as confusion, communication difficulties, aggression, wandering, sleep disturbance and other challenging behaviors. Caregivers may be ill equipped to manage these aspects of care. This paper seeks to identify these challenges and what role Social Work plays in addressing these needs and behaviors in order to improve and foster the relationship between the caregiver and individual with dementia, ultimately improving their quality of life.
