Dalarna University's logo and link to the university's website

Background: Caring for a partner with dementia is typically stressful and challenging. Such carers can become overwhelmed by their responsibilities, neglecting their personal needs as well as their need for support as a carer. Receipt of support is low among spouse carers, while the support received may not be appropriate for their needs. More research is required to develop effective support for this important group of carers. 

Overall aim: To explore the life- and caring situation of spouses caring for a partner with dementia and to increase the understanding of their needs and experiences of support.  

Methods: This thesis consists of four papers (I-IV): I, Analysis of data on informal carers of persons with dementia (n=330) from a cross-sectional survey of a stratified random probability sample of adults in Sweden (N=30 009); II and III, a cross-sectional survey of a convenience sample of people aged 65 years or older caring for a partner with dementia (N=175). Hierarchal regression models explored positive and negative aspects of caring (II), and principal component analysis examined carers’ perceptions of support (III); IV, a thematic analysis of semi-structured telephone interviews with 24 spouse carers, exploring their caring experiences. 

Results: Compared to other carers, spouses of persons with dementia received less support from family or local authorities, while experiencing more negative impact from caring (I). Negative impact from, and positive value of, caring among spouses, were associated with different aspects of their situation (II). Support was perceived as important, yet spouses may not perceive support to themselves as more important than support to their partner (III). Spouse carers experienced a loss of self and felt confined in their situation, finding it hard to distinguish between their needs and those of their partner (IV). 

Conclusion: Compared to other carers, spouses are more exposed to the negative aspects of caring, while being less supported. Support to spouse carers should focus on strengthening the positive aspects of caring to mitigate the negative aspects. As a spouse’s needs are conditioned by their partner’s, support should focus on spouses’ personal needs and their partners’ care needs.