O. Williams et al., YOUNGER-ONSET ALZHEIMERS-DISEASE - LEARNING FROM THE EXPERIENCE OF ONE SPOUSE CARER, Journal of clinical nursing, 4(1), 1995, pp. 31-36
There are estimated to be 17000 younger sufferers of dementia currentl
y living in the UK. At present, individualized service and practice in
itiatives for younger sufferers and their carers remain fragmented and
poorly developed. This is despite potential additional caregiving str
essors caused by the age of onset, such as financial difficulties due
to disruption in the work pattern, children still living at home, and
the sufferer's decreased life expectancy. Drawing on an individual car
er's personal case history, this article details a spouse carer's indi
vidual experience of her husband's decline through the stages of young
er-onset Alzheimer's disease. Pointers for policy and practice for you
nger sufferers and their carers are drawn from this case history and a
role for the community psychiatric nurse is outlined.