Romanian caregivers' perspective on Alzheimer's disease management

摘要

Our aim was to identify the needs and expectations of professional and non-professional caregivers, regarding medico-social support services for people with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Methods: We applied a questionnaire to professional and non-professional caregivers of AD patients from Brasov, Romania. Four domains were covered: home care for AD patients, access to diagnosis, social issues and availability of community services. Results: Professional caregivers pointed institutionalization as the most likely recommendation for care (38%), whereas non-professional caregivers aimed at home care (57%). Accessibility to diagnosis is much higher in the urban areas. The social stigma following AD diagnosis was acknowledged by all respon-ders. Community services imply mainly financial support for non-professionals, the medical and social care being accessed only by 28% of them. Conclusion: We face an emerging need to increase accessibility to information regarding diagnosis in AD, to inform the population about their legal rights and existing services.