Family caregivers for hospice patients with dementia said they experience an array of challenges, including difficulty in communicating with their loved ones and lack of consistent guidance from healthcare professionals, according to a recent study in the American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease & Other Dementias.
Researchers analyzed audio-recorded interviews with 51 caregivers on their experience managing pain in hospice patients with dementia.
Study participants said they worried that their loved ones were in pain, but are not able to express it — and that possibility disturbed them, reports Kaiser Health News.
Those who took part in the study also described feeling frustrated and defeated by patients' cognitive difficulties and changing emotions, according to the article.
"Our findings indicate the possible need for increased support for caregivers, including educational interventions targeting pain etiology and assessment, and improved communication with healthcare professionals," the study's authors concluded.