Gender impact of caring on the health of caregivers of persons with dementia

Background: Dementia is a brain syndrome that affects a growing number of persons worldwide and generates a strong and progressive demand for care from a family caregiver, usually females. Objective: We aimed to describe the care provided by family caregivers of persons with dementia as well as the impact on their health and its interrelation with gender. Patient involvement: This study was carried out in collaboration with the 13 associations of family caregivers of persons with dementia that are part of a Regional Federation. This partnership worked towards bettering patient care and proposing improvements to the public health system. Methods: A multi-institutional cross-sectional study. A total of 462 primary family caregivers of persons with dementia from north-west Spain were included. Data were collected between January and April 2019 with an anonymous self-administered validated questionnaire (ICUB-97) based on Virginia Henderson’s nursing care model. Results: The most affected needs in family caregivers are those related to “recreational activities”, “communication” and “rest and sleep”. Statistically significant differences between male and female participants’ pattern of care and health-related impacts were found, especially in issues related to work and family reconciliation. Discussion: Care plans should be developed taking gender perspective into account. From a nurse model point of view, more research is necessary to reduce health disparities. This study provides an assessment of gender differences in care and the impact on caregivers’ health. Practical value: Regarding the specific health conditions of female caregivers and from a holistic point of view, these findings could provide novel and interesting data that might help to implement gender perspective in nursing care plans, generally invisible in routine clinical practiceThis work was supported by the Xunta de Galicia (ED431C 2017/27; Red Gallega de Investigación en Demencias, IN607C-2017/02). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the participating Associations of Family Caregivers. The authors thank the support of the Federation of Galician Associations of Dementia’s sufferers and their families (FAGAL). We are grateful to Diego Lopez-Cao for his services in editing the manuscriptS