Views on Co-occupation between Elderly Persons with Dementia and Family

Background: Long-term support is essential for individuals with dementia in order to improve their and their caregivers’ quality of life. We need to investigate the unmet co-occupation needs of elderly persons with dementia and their family caregivers. This study aims to clarify the characteristics of co-occupations between family caregivers and elderly persons with dementia. Methods: We administered a questionnaire survey to 39 caregivers regarding co-occupations between persons with dementia and caregivers, the co-occupations they perceived as troublesome, and the co-occupations they preferred. Findings: Thirty-two caregivers (82.1%) perceived 74 co-occupations focused on the self-care of persons with dementia to be troublesome, while twenty-one (53.8%) indicated 30 co-occupations as their preferred ones. Those caregivers with preferred co-occupations placed significantly higher importance on troublesome co-occupations than the caregivers without preferred co-occupations. The number of troublesome co-occupations showed a weak positive correlation with dementia symptoms. The performance of troublesome co-occupations showed a weak negative correlation with the caregiving period, weekly amount of caregiving time. The satisfaction with troublesome co-occupations showed a weak negative correlation with the caregiving period. No other significant correlations were found. Conclusion: More than 80% of the family caregivers perceived the troublesome co-occupations. We need to assist caregivers with co-occupations that they perceive as troublesome. Furthermore, providing support based on co-occupation might improve family caregivers’ well-being and enable long-term home care.