Nursing in Japan: caregivers of elderly family members with dementia.

ABSTRACT

1. The difficulties that caregivers of elderly family members suffering from dementia confronted are divided into five categories incomprehensible situations, strange behavior, deterioration of dementia, trouble or inconvenience caused by demented behavior, and remarks vis-a-vis support network. 2. The considerable differences among caregivers of elderly persons suffering from dementia, in terms of problems faced and methods of coping, existed in beginning and awakening stages. 3. Nurses must assess which stages of the developmental process families are going through to implement effective nursing interventions that vary between the two stages.