Health of carers can affect sufferers

A carer’s experience can impact on the ability of a person with dementia to “live well” with the condition, new research suggests.

If carers feel highly stressed, lack confidence in their ability and experience social restrictions, the people they care for rate their quality of life, wellbeing and satisfaction with life less positively.

Using data from 1,283 people with dementia and their carers, the research team sought to find out whether carers’ experiences related to the way in which people with dementia evaluated their own quality of life, well-being and satisfaction with life.

The research is part of the Improving the experience of Dementia and Enhancing Active Life (Ideal) programme.