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Introduction Resilience is a dynamic process that acts to modify the effects of an adverse life event. In this study, we aimed to test the construct validity of the Resilience Scale by employing exploratory and confirmatory procedures, and to investigate the relationship between caregiver’s resilience and clinical status of people with Alzheimer’s disease. Methods A sample of 143 dyads of people with Alzheimer’s disease and their primary caregivers were included. Results The total Resilience Scale mean score was 140.3 (standard deviation [SD] = 16.289), ranging from 25 to 175, indicating a high level of resilience. Cronbach’s alpha was high (α = 0.77), indicating excellent internal consistency. The mean of corrected item-total correlation coefficients was moderate. The Resilience Scale presented a four-factor solution with a well-defined structure: sense of life and self-sufficiency, perseverance, self-confidence and equanimity, and meaningfulness. Conclusion The findings indicate excellent internal consistency of the Resilience Scale when used to evaluate psychological and emotional difficulties of caregivers, even though the correlations observed between the Resilience Scale and clinical variables were not significant for functionality, mood, awareness, neuropsychiatric symptoms, or burden.

Day care (DC) provides a break in daily care as a support strategy for family caregivers (FC) of people with dementia (PwD).to analyze the support strategies used by the DC for FC, their methodological and theoretical models, as well as the respective benefits for FC burden, coping strategies and quality of life.a systematic review following the Prisma methodology was performed on PubMed, PsycInfo, Scopus and SciELO electronic databases in August, 2018. The search keywords were "day care", "dementia" or Alzheimer disease, "caregiver", "quality of life" and "psychological adaptation".twenty-one studies were included. No randomized controlled trials were found. The provision of education, counseling and support, access to information, the professionals' expertise and the quality of their relationship with DC users were highlighted by caregivers. Compared to standard programs centering on PwD, the integrated program focused on PwD and FC activities showed increased feelings of competence and self-confidence of FC to postpone institutionalization. Heterogeneity in the structure and organization of the DC programs, intervention strategies and theoretical basis was observed.Integrated programs are a promising approach that addresses the needs and demands of PwD and their FC in a multidimensional manner.O centro-dia (CD) permite uma pausa no cuidado diário como estratégia de apoio aos cuidadores familiares (CF) das pessoas com demência (PcD).analisar as estratégias de suporte aos CF oferecidas pelos CD, seus modelos metodológicos e teóricos, bem como os respectivos benefícios sobre sua sobrecarga, estratégias de enfrentamento e qualidade de vida.uma revisão sistemática utilizando a metodologia Prisma foi realizada nos bancos de dados eletrônicos PubMed, PsycInfo, Scopus e SciELO em agosto, 2018. As palavras chave da pesquisa foram “centro dia”, “demência” ou doença de Alzheimer, “cuidador”, “qualidade de vida” e “adaptação psicológica”.vinte e um estudos foram incluídos. Não foram encontrados estudos randomizados. A oferta de educação, aconselhamento e apoio, o acesso a informações sobre a estrutura e o programa do CD, a expertise dos profissionais e a qualidade da relação destes com os usuários foram aspectos ressaltados pelos cuidadores. Comparados aos programas padrão centrados na PcD, estudos descrevendo o programa integrado, focado nas atividades para PcD e CF, mostraram um aumento no sentimento de competência e autoconfiança do CF e adiamento da institucionalização. Observou-se heterogeneidade na estrutura e organização dos programas de CD, nas estratégias de intervenção e nas bases teóricas.programas integrados são uma abordagem promissora que atende às necessidades e demandas das PcD e seus CF de forma multidimensional.

Introduction Caregivers of people with Alzheimer disease (PwAD) report significant stress, burden and depression compared to caregivers of people with other dementias, especially when neuropsychiatric symptoms are prominent. Adequate coping strategies can modify the impact of stressful situations and increase the caregivers’ quality of life. Objective To systematically review the different coping strategies used by caregivers of PwAD to manage neuropsychiatric symptoms. Method We carried out electronic searches using MEDLINE (PubMed), SciELO, Web of Knowledge Cross Search (Thomson Scientific/ISI Web Services) and PsycINFO databases to select studies on coping in PwAD caregivers published from January 2005 to July 2017. The search terms were coping, caregivers, strategy, onset, adaptation, family, behavior, dementia and Alzheimer. The studies were organized in three categories: problem-focused, emotion-focused and dysfunctional coping strategies. Results We found 2,277 articles. After application of exclusion criteria and exclusion of redundant references, 24 articles were analyzed. Emotion-focused coping was the most commonly used strategy among PwAD caregivers. The use of this strategy associated with religion and spirituality may help reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety. Problem-focused coping strategies were mostly used with active coping interventions. Problem-solving coping may have buffered the impact of acute psychological stressors on procoagulant activity. Dysfunctional coping strategies were associated with increase of caregiver burden. Conclusion The evaluated studies showed that the use and development of coping strategies may have ameliorated the depressive symptoms, anxiety and burden of caregivers. However, longitudinal studies are still needed that clearly describe the type of coping strategy used in relation to the presented results. Resumo Introdução Cuidadores de pessoas com doença de Alzheimer relatam mais estresse, sobrecarga e depressão em comparação com cuidadores de pessoas com outras patologias, especialmente quando os sintomas neuropsiquiátricos são proeminentes. Estratégias adequadas de enfrentamento podem modificar o impacto de situações estressantes e aumentar a qualidade de vida do cuidador. Objetivo Revisar sistematicamente as diferentes estratégias de enfrentamento utilizadas pelos cuidadores para lidar com sintomas neuropsiquiátricos. Método Foi realizada busca eletrônica em artigos publicados entre janeiro de 2005 e julho de 2017 nos bancos de dados MEDLINE (PubMed), SciELO, Web of Knowledge Cross Search (Thomson Scientific/ISI Web Services) e PsycINFO. Os termos utilizados foram coping, caregivers, strategy, onset, adaptation, family, behavior, dementia and Alzheimer. Os artigos avaliados foram categorizados em estratégias de enfrentamento focadas na resolução do problema, na emoção e estratégias disfuncionais. Resultados Foram encontrados 2.277 artigos. Após aplicação dos critérios de exclusão, foram incluídos 24 artigos. A estratégia de enfrentamento mais utilizada foi a focada na emoção. O uso desta estratégia associada a religião e espiritualidade pode reduzir sintomas de depressão e ansiedade dos cuidadores. As estratégias de enfrentamento focadas na resolução do problema utilizaram principalmente intervenções baseadas no enfrentamento ativo. A resolução de problemas reduz o impacto dos estressores psicológicos agudos sobre a atividade procoagulante. As estratégias disfuncionais estavam associadas ao aumento da sobrecarga dos cuidadores. Conclusão Os estudos mostraram que o desenvolvimento e uso de estratégias de enfrentamento pode aliviar sintomas depressivos, ansiosos e sobrecarga do cuidador. No entanto, ainda são necessários estudos longitudinais que descrevam claramente o tipo de estratégia de enfrentamento utilizada em relação aos desfechos das pesquisas.

Resilience is the capacity for successful adaptation when faced with the stress of adversity. We aimed to investigate the relationship between caregivers’ resilience and the sociodemographic and clinical factors of people with dementia. Cross-sectional assessment of 58 people with dementia and their caregiver dyads showed that most caregivers were female adult children. The caregivers reported moderate to higher levels of resilience, lower levels of anxiety and depressive symptoms and moderate levels of burden. Resilience was not related to the caregiver’s gender (p = 0.883), nor clinical (p = 0.807) or emotional problems (p = 0.420). The regression showed that resilience was related to the caregiver’s quality of life (p < 0.01) and inversely associated with their depressive symptoms (p < 0.01). There was no relationship between caregivers’ resilience and the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of people with dementia. We can assume that resilience is an individual characteristic. Support groups should also focus on the factors that may increase resilience among caregivers.

Introduction:The onset of Alzheimer's disease (AD) affects couples’ relationship. We investigated the perception of change and sexual satisfaction in spouse-caregivers and their partners diagnosed with AD.Methods:We compared 74 dyads of people with Alzheimer's disease (PwAD)/spouse-caregivers and 21 elderly dyads control. We assessed sexual satisfaction with Questionnaire on Sexual Experience and Satisfaction (QSES), cognition using a Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), disease severity using a Clinical Dementia Rating scale (CDR), awareness of disease with Assessment Scale of Psychosocial Impact of the Diagnosis of Dementia (ASPIDD), functionality with Pfeffer Functional Activities Questionnaire (FAQ), depressive symptoms with Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD), quality of life using a Quality of Life in Alzheimer's Disease Scale (QoL-AD), and burden using a Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI).Results:We found differences between the perception and no perception of change in sexual activity of PwAD (p < 0.001), spouse-caregivers (p < 0.01), and controls (p < 0.05). Moderate to severe sexual dissatisfaction was observed in 36.5% of PwAD, 65% of spouse-caregivers, and 31% of controls. PwAD sexual satisfaction was related to cognitive impairment (p < 0.05). Spouse-caregivers sexual satisfaction was related to gender (p < 0.05) and the presence of sexual activity (p < 0.001).Conclusions:The perception of change with higher sexual dissatisfaction, were significant in PwAD and their spouse-caregivers, in comparison with couples of elderly without dementia.

Introduction: There is growing recognition of early onset dementia (EOD) as a significant clinical and social problem because of its effects on physical and mental health of people with dementia (PWD) and their caregivers. Objective: To analyze the psychosocial impact of EOD in family caregivers. Methods: The study design was qualitative. Nine EOD caregivers (7 women) were recruited at a service for Alzheimer's disease and assessed using semi-structured interviews. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to analyze caregivers' reports. Results: Five themes emerged from the narratives: psychological and emotional impact; physical impact; financial and professional impact; social impact and need for support services. The majority of the caregivers of people with EOD perceived their emotional wellbeing as poor or extremely poor. Carers reported poor physical health, which tends to be longer-lasting than mental health problems. Two caregivers had to retire after the disclosure of the dementia diagnosis, and seven reduced their work loads because they had to look after PWD. Preserving the abilities of PWD is essential to maintain their self-esteem, dignity and sense of utility. For the caregivers, interventions and stimulating activities make PWD feel worthwhile and contribute to improving life. Conclusion: The caregivers of people with EOD assume the role of caregiver prematurely and need to balance this activity with other responsibilities. There is a need for more studies of EOD in order to improve understanding of the impact of this disease and to enable development of adequate services for PWD and their caregivers. Introdução: A demência de início precoce ( early onset dementia , EOD) vem sendo reconhecida como um importante problema clínico e social devido aos efeitos sobre a saúde física e mental das pessoas com demência e seus cuidadores. Objetivo: Analisar o impacto psicossocial da EOD em cuidadores familiares. Métodos: O estudo baseia-se na metodologia qualitativa. Foram realizadas entrevistas semiestruturadas com nove cuidadores EOD (sete mulheres) recrutados em um serviço para doença de Alzheimer. Utilizou-se análise fenomenológica interpretativa para analisar as narrativas dos cuidadores. Resultados: Cinco temas emergiram das narrativas: impacto psicológico e emocional; impacto físico; impacto financeiro e profissional; impacto social e necessidade de serviços de apoio. A maioria dos cuidadores percebe seu bem-estar emocional como ruim ou extremamente ruim. Os cuidadores reconhecem prejuízos na saúde física, que tendem a ser mais duradouros do que os problemas de saúde mental. Dois cuidadores tiveram que se aposentar após o diagnóstico de demência, e sete diminuíram sua carga de trabalho porque tinham que cuidar dos pacientes. Preservar as habilidades das pessoas com demência é essencial para manter a sua autoestima, dignidade e sentimento de utilidade. Para os cuidadores, intervenções e atividades de estimulação fazem com que as pessoas com demência se sintam mais úteis e contribuam para uma vida melhor. Conclusão: Os cuidadores de pessoas com EOD assumem prematuramente o papel de cuidador e precisam equilibrar esta atividade com outras responsabilidades. Há necessidade de mais estudos sobre EOD, a fim de se obter uma melhor compreensão do impacto da doença e para o desenvolvimento de serviços adequados para pacientes e seus cuidadores.

Objectives This study investigates the factors associated with the impairment of awareness in mild dementia. Methods Using a longitudinal design, 69 people with mild Alzheimer's disease (AD), and their family caregivers were interviewed and reassessed after one year. The dyads completed the Assessment Scale of Psychosocial Impact of the Diagnosis of Dementia (ASPIDD), the Quality of Life in Alzheimer's Disease Scale (QoL-AD), the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) scale, the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia (CSDD), the Pfeffer Functional Activities Questionnaire (PFAQ), the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), and the Zarit Burden Interview (ZBI). Univariate and ordinal regression analyses were conducted to examine the contribution of the various factors. Results The level of awareness of disease presented a significant difference (p Conclusions At least in the earlier stages of dementia, it should not be assumed that awareness will inevitably decrease as dementia progresses. The results confirmed that awareness and cognition are relatively independent, and showed that in mild PwD awareness is mainly manifested by poor recognition of changes in ADLs.

Objectives This study aimed to 1) determine changes over time in PwD and caregiver ratings of PwD QoL 2) to identify the factors associated with any changes in QoLratings and 3) to identify any discrepancies between PwD and caregiver ratings of PwD QoL. Methods Using a longitudinal design, we investigated QoL of 69 people with mild Alzheimer’s disease and their caregivers. We examined the influence of awareness of disease, cognitive status, mood, functionality, neuropsychiatric symptoms and burden. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses were conducted to examine the contribution of the various co-factors. Results At baseline, we observed that caregivers’s QoL was associated to PwD QoL (t= 3.557, p Conclusions In mild dementia, the cognitive impairment and functionality were not the primary factors that accounted in PwD and family caregivers’ ratings of QoL. Our findings suggested that there was an association between PwD and caregivers’ QoL over time. In addition, non-cognitive factors, such as awareness of disease and mood played an important role in PwD and caregivers’ QoL ratings.