치매가족의 부양부담과 갈등해결을 위한 개입방안

Strategies for Alleviating the Burden and Conflicts of the Demented Family

The family caring for the demented elderly experiences the severe burden and family conflicts because of caregiver’s role strain and the insufficient direct/indirect services for the demented elderly and their families in Korea. This study was aimed at investigating the caregiver burden and family conflicts of the family living with the demented elderly. Family caregivers experience the various burden such as social activity restriction, negative change of elderly-caregiver relationship, negative change of family relationship, psychological burden, financial and job-related burden, and health-related burden. And they experience family conflicts resulting from the excessive care demand of the demented elderly, caregiver’s role engulfment and the dysfunctional interaction patterns of the family system. The various direct services and intervention such as family consultation, supportive educational group, mutual-aid group, respite service and family therapy need to be increased for the purpose of alleviating the caregiver burden, changing the dysfunctional sequence of interaction and preventing and solving of the conflicts in family system.