The coping, care, and welfare usage of family members of geriatric dementia

[[abstract]]Unlike other geriatric illnesses, some dementia cases do not have obvious physical changes or damage, and therefore is not an immediate crisis to family members. Given that most people lack awareness of dementia, the processing from the beginning of suspect to receiving medical care may be several years. Only with more serious situation, family members gradually use related benefits. For the family members, it has been a chronic long-term suffering, and their pressure, emotional, and physical harm accumulated over years. The aim of this paper is to understand their mentality, coping methods and care model in the processing from the suspicion of family member with dementia, the identification, to the care for the dementia patient, and extends to their usage of government welfare services. Qualitative research with in-depth interview was used in this paper to understand the family's mentality fromawareness to medical treatment, the sources to access for information about dementia, the impact on life, the coping, the demand of related welfare services and the usage of welfare. Samples were selected by "Snowball Sampling". The total of nine family members were visited in this paper, including eight women and one man. Nine patients, including seven women and two men, were mainly in moderate dementia. Living situations of patients were mainly in the conservation center. Foreign care workers were hired to take care most patients living at home. Based on the results, it is suggested that the information about dementia and welfare should be promoted, social work services should be early provided to families of dementia patient in order to enhance their mental health support, and support system for dementia care should be constructed by connecting social workers, medical institutions, polices and resources of informal organizations.