RESUMO
Providing care to someone with dementia is a complex task, that requires a set of specific skills and knowledge that family caregivers often lack. Training family caregivers of people with dementia is paramount, and the first step towards such purpose should be the identification of their features and the evaluation of their needs. The main aim of this study is to identify the major characteristics of family caregivers of people with dementia in early or moderate stage living at home, who attend the dementia consultation at a hospital in the north of Portugal, through a quantitative, descriptive and cross-sectional study. This study is a section from a previous randomized controlled trial, performed to assess the short-term efficacy of a training programme for family caregivers of people with dementia (the pro-gramme "Living together with Dementia"). Regarding the findings, we realized that the average age of family caregivers is 52, and these are mostly women, married, with basic education levels and employed. They display intense overload and difficulties levels, but also high degrees of satisfaction. They mostly resort to mixed co-ping/problem resolution strategies and their main needs are expressed as follows: managing emotions and feelings associated with the caring process; developing strategies to preserve physical and mental health; developing knowledge about dementia and its stages and finally, seeking support from formal institutions
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