Family care-giving for people with dementia: some implications for policy and professional practice

The objective of this paper is to describe one study undertaken in the nort h of England which sought an understanding of family care-giving for people with dementia. Data were collected by interview and diary with 14 family c arers, by questionnaire with 60 professional carers, and by interview and d iary from nine case studies. Family carers were found to value their contin uing relationship with the person with dementia. This emphasis on their rel ationship together influenced the contact which they had with professional carers. The implications of this research for policy and professional pract ice are explored through illumination of the tensions in professional respo nses to family carers.