BURDEN AND STRESS ON RELATIVES (INFORMAL CARERS) OF DEMENTIA SUFFERERS IN PSYCHOGERIATRIC NURSING-HOMES

The Zarit Burden Scale (ZBS), the 30-item General Health questionnaire (GHQ) and a General Knowledge Test of Dementia (GKT) sere administere d to the primary family carers (usually a spouse or daughter) of 51 pa tients with dementia who had been admitted to two psychogeriatric nurs ing homes for mobile disturbed dementia sufferers. Informal carers for these patients demonstrated significant levels of burden and psycholo gical morbidity up to two years after their demented relatives' admiss ion to the nursing horse. Spouse carers and carers from non-English sp eaking backgrounds demonstrated significantly more burden than other c arers.