Abstract
The family caregiver of a person with dementia (PwD) provides valuable care and experiences negative health outcomes as a result. These negative health outcomes can be mitigated utilizing resources, however utilization rates remain low. While there is some research on barriers to accessing resources there is very little focused on caregivers of PwD. This study through semi-structured interviews with caregivers of PwD takes a deep look into the experience of first signs, diagnosis, and utilization of resources to better understand what those barriers might be. This study found that because of the healthcare structure caregivers do not learn about resources until much later in their journey and in hindsight agree that using them early on would be beneficial, especially caregiver support group. Agencies and institutions that seek to support caregivers of PwD can take this information and make changes in their approach to increase utilization that will improve the health of both the caregiver and the PwD.
Advisor
Jeffrey Buchanan
Committee Member
Vicki Hunter
Committee Member
Aaron Hoy
Date of Degree
2020
Language
english
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
Master of Science (MS)
College
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Recommended Citation
Shanafelt, R. L. M. (2020). Barriers to utilizing resources for the dementia caregiver [Master’s thesis, Minnesota State University, Mankato]. Cornerstone: A Collection of Scholarly and Creative Works for Minnesota State University, Mankato. https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/etds/989/
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
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