Dru Koster
Research Mentor: Courtney Polenick
Mentor Department: Psychiatry, Medicine
Author(s): Dru Koster, Courtney Polenick
Session: Session 3 (11:00 AM – 11:50 AM)
Presentation Type: Poster 120
Abstract
Objectives: Previous studies have shown that adult child caregivers and parents living with dementia influence one another’s well-being, but little is known about the difficulties or challenges adult child caregivers experience in their other relationships as a result of living with a person living with dementia (PLWD). This study aims to understand how sharing a home with and providing care for a PLWD may lead to difficulties or challenges in other relationships for co-resident adult child caregivers. Methods: A total of 30 in-depth recorded phone interviews were administered with co-resident adult child caregivers who had started living with the PLWD in the last 5 years, and were 18 years of age or older. Participants responded to open-ended questions about how sharing a home with and supporting the PLWD may have led to difficulties or challenges in their relationships with other people. The open-ended data were transcribed, and qualitative content analysis was conducted to determine how sharing a home and providing care may lead to difficulties or challenges in other relationships. Results: The results generate major themes that inform understanding of the difficulties that adult child caregivers are exposed to while sharing a home with a PLWD, and how those difficulties impact other relationships. Some difficulties, such as spending a large amount of time with the PLWD as a result of the caregiver role and living in the same space, may limit the adult child’s ability to engage in external relationships for support. Conclusion: The findings provide insights into modifiable processes that could be targeted during interventions to reduce the negative impacts of caregiving on other relationships among co-resident adult child dementia caregivers.
