Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2009 Jan;51(1):45-9.
doi: 10.4103/0019-5545.44905.

Behavioral symptoms and caregiver burden in dementia

K S Shaji, Roy K George, Martin J Prince, K S Jacob

Behavioral symptoms and caregiver burden in dementia

K S Shaji et al. Indian J Psychiatry. 2009 Jan.

Abstract

Background: Dementia care in developing countries will continue to be provided by co-resident caregivers at home. Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia (BPSD) are difficult to manage at home. Interventions leading to reduction or remission of reduction or remission of BPSD will be of immense help in the management of these patients.

Materials and methods: The nature and prevalence of BPSD in a community sample of patients with dementia was assessed by a clinician. The impact of these symptoms on the caregiver was assessed by measures of burden of care and the psychological well being of the caregiver. Another rater carried out these assessments independently.

Results: Prevalence of BPSD was very high and they were more common in patients with Alzheimer's Disease than patients with Vascular Dementia. They were rated as troubling to most caregivers. Caregiver burden was associated with adverse effects on the mental health of the carer.

Conclusions: To be effective, dementia care services in developing countries need to focus on management of BPSD at home. Development of a low cost, effective and sustainable dementia care service should be given due importance by the policy makers in the developing world.

Keywords: Behavioral symptoms; Dementia; caregiver burden.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest: None declared

References

    1. Patel V, Prince M. Aging and mental health in a developing country: who cares? Qualitative studies from Goa, India. Psychological Medicine. 2001;31:29–37. - PubMed
    1. Shaji KS, Smitha, Praveen Lal K, Prince MJ. Caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease: a qualitative study from the Indian 10/66 dementia research network. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 2003;18:1–6. - PubMed
    1. Finkel SI, Costa e Silva J, Cohen G, Miller S, Sartorius N. Behavioral and psychological signs and symptoms of dementia: a consensus statement on current knowledge and implications for research and treatment. Int Psychogeriatr. 1996;8:497–500. - PubMed
    1. Shaji KS, Arun Kishore NR, Praveen Lal K, Prince MJ. Revealing a hidden Problem. An evaluation of a community dementia case-finding program from the Indian 10/66 Dementia Research Network. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2002;17:222–5. - PubMed
    1. American Psychiatric Association. 4th ed. Washington DC: American Psychiatric Association; 1994. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.