Alzheimer and Dementia Disease

Paper Summary:

This paper defines a caregiver, both primary and secondary caregivers, as anyone who is able and willing to carry out the numerous tasks associated with managing an Alzheimer and Dementia Disease (AD) patient and specifically describes California caregivers, spouses, adult sons and daughters. Latino caregivers and men and women caregivers. The author points out that, although there is a wealth of research into caregiving by women, there is relatively little literature about caregiving by men because the overwhelming of number caregivers for AD patients are women. The paper concludes that sons as caregivers have generally assumed their role voluntarily rather than as a cultural expectation as is the case with daughters; men have been shown to keep their caregiving role a secret from their workplace: Society has not yet granted sons equality in this arena. Six tables.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Statement of the Problem
Need for the Study
Goals of the Study
Limitations of the Study
Delimitations of the Study
Objectives of the Study
Operational Definitions
Literature Review
What is Dementia?
What is Alzheimer's Disease?
Research on Alzheimer's and related Dementia
Who is a Caregiver?
Differences between Primary and Secondary Caregivers
Profile of California Caregivers
The Role Theory
Spouses as Caregivers
Adult Children as Caregivers
Women as Caregivers
Men as Caregivers
The Differences between Men and Women as Caregivers
Caregivers' burdens
Caregiving Outcomes
Research Methodology
Results and Discussion
Findings
Discussion
Summary and Conclusion
Support Groups and Other Resources for Caregivers

From the Paper:

"Dementia is a word most people think they can define. Classically trained individuals will suggest it is simply the state of being "out of one's mind," based on the Latin roots of the word. But it is, these days, a state of being that is highly technically described, and a diagnosis of dementia-Alzheimer's or any other variety-is generally arrived at by batteries of tests. Functioning in regard to the material tested is assessed; those deviating too far from the norm are likely to be classified as suffering dementia. Lucas notes (1995) that "Clinical assessment has lagged behind research in memory disorders," but it is believed now that memory is regarded as a heterogeneous entity which is comprised of distinct systems; for example, long-term vs. short-term memory, and encoding vs. retrieval memory, and several other pairs of related brain functions. Memory, Lucas suggests, is at the root of a definition of dementia, and he explains a wide variety of memory types in locating dementia."

More papers on Alzheimer and Dementia Disease:

• Research Paper # 99319 : "Alzheimer's Dementia"
• Term Paper # 129462 : "Pharmacotherapy of Alzheimer's Dementia"
• Descriptive Essay # 140051 : "Alzheimers and Dementia"

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