Caring for the Caregiver
Care for the caregiver is a critical intervention in dementia care. Caregivers offer essential reports about the cognitively impaired care recipient, and caregiver well- being is a predictor of how long individuals with dementia are able to live in the community before moving to a long-term care facility.
Caregiver statistics at a glance:
- Fewer than half of dementia caregivers report ever having a clinician ask them what they need to care for their loved one
- Only a quarter of dementia caregivers report a clinician ever asking them about their own self-care needs1
- More than half of dementia caregivers say they need more help managing their own emotional and physical stress

THERE ARE 4 STEPS THAT ANY CLINICIAN IN ANY SETTING CAN TAKE TO SUPPORT CAREGIVERS:
1. Include caregivers as a member of the care team by identifying who they are, including them in appointments and conversations with the patient, and documenting their information in the patient’s medical record.
2. Assess the caregiver’s health, well-being, capacity and willingness to be a caregiver, and any unmet needs.
3. Create care plans for both patient and caregiver that are matched to their needs and reflect goals of care and advance care planning.
4. Address caregiver needs via referral to appropriate services, including medical consultation, disease education resources, and online and community resources.
If caregiver needs are unmet, chances are much higher that your patient’s needs will be unmet as well. Caregiver assessment may be conducted by a range of health professionals, including physicians, nurses, social workers, or care managers.
The following are validated assessment tools and resources for assessing caregiver well-being. Take CAPC’s course Supporting the Caregivers of People Living with Dementia to learn more.
1 National Alliance for Caregiving. “Dementia Caregiving in the U.S.,” 2017.
IMPLEMENTING BEST PRACTICES IN DEMENTIA CARE: CLINICAL TOOLS | CAPC.ORG/DEMENTIATOOLKIT