Cohorts were ethically approved by the Regional Ethics Committee for Medical Research Ethics in Eastern and Western Norway.

Our principal finding is that irritability, agitation, sleep disturbances, anxiety, apathy, and delusion seem to exert the most impact on caregiver burden. Heterogeneity in the measures and statistical analyses used, however, makes it difficult to make conclusive interpretations. Future research in this field would benefit from standardization of the scientific methodology in use. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Our findings confirm the prospective utility of the PARIHS framework for implementation in a non-English context, particularly the notion of implementation processes as dynamic and multifaceted.

Being a carer to a person with mild dementia is associated with increasing distress. However, the burden of distress changes with the diagnosis, time, and situation, which highlights the dynamic nature of the caring role. Findings have important implications for health services for people diagnosed with mild dementia and their carers.