TITLE:  Formal Caregiver's Perceptions of Coping With an Alzheimer's Disease Patient: A Pilot Study
 

KEY WORDS:  Alzheimer's Disease, Nursing Home Care

INSTRUMENT: Caregiver Questionnaire of Perceptions of Working with  Families of Alzheimer's Disease (self-constructed)

ABSTRACT:

Alzheimer's Disease will affect nearly 4 million Americans in the United States by the year 2000 (Garwick,  Detzner, & Boss, 1994).  This Disease  not only affects the patient dealing with the disorder, but also has a large impact    on the family of the patient.  When caring for a family member with Alzheimer's Disease becomes cumbersome, primary care settings such a nursing home, may be   beneficial.  This pilot study focused on the formal caregiver's perceptions of families coping with Alzheimer's Disease patients.  A self-constructed  questionnaire was administered to nursing home staff from two nursing homes  and, undergraduate nursing majors from a small Catholic liberal arts college.   Research was gathered to determine if staff perceive interactive family  participation in the formal care setting as more beneficial to the care of  Alzheimer's Disease patient, and the level of job satisfaction of the staff.  Results  implied that positive family interaction affected the patient's demeanor, and    influenced the staff's level of job satisfaction.  Implications will be further discussed in this paper.

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