DEVELOPMENTAL PROCESS: Family Caregivers of Demented Japanese

Abstract

1. Developmental process of caring for demented elders: the case of family caregivers consists of the beginning process (stage 1 through 4) and the awakening process (stage 5 through 7). 2. In the beginning process, the caregiver is unaware of the interaction between him/her and the demented family member, relies on conventional, general-purpose methods of care and on verbal communication, and consider care in terms of training and discipline of the person cared for. 3. The caregiver in the awakening process has realized that there is interaction between him/her and the demented family member, reflects on the nonverbal signs shown by the elder in order to improve their care, and provide warm and considerate care by making the most of nonverbal communication.

Towards a More Inclusive Vision of Dementia Care Practice and Research

“…Over the past decade several studies have attempted to chart the ways in which caregiving   (  ) changes over time, resulting in so-called 'temporal' models which try to identify key transitions or points of change (see, for example, Kobayashi, Masaki, & Noguchi, 1993;Wuest, Ericson, & Stern, 1994;Aneshensel et al, 1995;Keady, 1999).These studies are not suggesting that all caregivers will follow a uniformly similar path -indeed, most are at pains to point out diversity. However, they do suggest that despite individual variation it is possible to identify 'threads of continuity' (Aneshensel et al, 1995) or to 'discern consistency' (Montgomery & Kosloski, 2000) which can provide 'markers' as to when is the best time to offer help and what help is likely to be most useful at a particular point in time (Montgomery & Kosloski, 2000).…”

Searching for new possibilities to care: a qualitative analysis of family caring involvement in nursing homes

“…Such moments became the fuel of future caring commitment. 31 Family carers' continued involvement was justified to them in those brief moments, uplifting their spirits to continue on in their caring efforts knowing they were not in vain.…”

Family Nursing Research with Asian Families

“…Findings from other studies, particularly in relation to caregiving for the elderly, were similarly interpreted as culturally related. The availability of family support and help were critical in how caregivers coped with adults with dementia and who were mentally ill (Chiu, Shyu, Liu, Wang, & Chang, 2001;Kobayashi, Masaki, & Noguchi, 1993;Suwa-Kobayashi, Yuasa, & Noguchi, 1995;Yamamoto-Mitani, Tamura, Deguchi, Ito, & Sugishita, 2000) and the cultural values related to the meaning of family and illness were critical in understanding how families interpreted and coped with children who were mentally ill (Jung, 2000;). Chang (1999, 2000) found that caregiving tasks for cancer patients in Hong Kong were more difficult for younger caregivers because of their multiple family demands.…”