burden

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Helping Families Worried About Developing Dementia

Michael Gordon, MD, MSc, FRCPC, Medical Program Director, Palliative Care, Baycrest Geriatric Health Care System, Professor of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON.

One of the challenges faced by those of us who practice geriatric medicine or through another specialty is helping family members understand the hodgepodge of medical literature especially as it is reported by internet/Google searches rather than careful reviews of the peer reviewed literature. Even in the latter there is a wide range of opinions which even for physicians sometimes presents a challenge in how we make our recommendations. This is especially the case when dealing with dementia.
Keywords: dementia, burden, stress, fear, guilt, families.

Ethnic Differences in the Caregiving Experience: Implications for Interventions

Martin Pinquart, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Developmental Psychology and Center for Applied Developmental Science, Friedrich Schiller University, Jena, Germany.
Silvia Sörensen, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY, USA.

Due to the aging of society and the increase in ethnic diversity, there is a growing interest in the needs of ethnically diverse caregivers for older adults. Based on a recent meta-analysis, this article outlines ethnic differences in caregiving stressors, available social resources, and caregiver health. We offer suggestions on how to consider ethnic differences in the planning and implementation of caregiver interventions.
Key words: family caregivers, ethnicity, stress, burden, depression.