Determining factors in the use of respite services by caregivers of patients with dementia: Qualitative research using focus groups

Introduction:A changing and aging population contributes to an increase of Alzheimer-type or related dementia. Encouraged by health policies, home care for patients suffering from these conditions is often dependent on their caregivers' contribution. The demands of such a role may weaken the caregivers and cause them a feeling of burden requiring the recourse to periods of respite. An ancillary study of a research program carried out in the Geneva agglomeration, our study aims to characterize, for the caregivers of patients with dementia, the determinants of a recourse to the devices of respite. Method: Qualitative research conducted by focus groups of caregivers of patients with dementia. Three focus groups were conducted, with 12 participants in the cities of Geneva (Switzerland) and Rouen (France). Results: Our study notes the concomitance of the evolution of the assisted person's disorder and the emergence of a feeling of burden on the caregiver, related to the duration and the intensity of the aid provided. Our results help to identify the determinants of a recourse to respite periods for the caregiver or institutions and to modellze these determinants. Conclusion: Devices of respite must be coordinated and adapted to the needs of caregivers, both in terms of format and quality, in order to facilitate the use of the most vulnerable populations and to avoid too late recourse.