Help-Seeking in Informal Family Caregivers of People with Dementia: A Qualitative Study with iSupport as a Case in Point

Anna Messina, Rebecca Amati, Emiliano Albanese and Maddalena Fiordelli
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Anna Messina: Institute of Public Health, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera Italiana, 6900 Lugano, Switzerland
Rebecca Amati: Institute of Public Health, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera Italiana, 6900 Lugano, Switzerland
Emiliano Albanese: Institute of Public Health, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera Italiana, 6900 Lugano, Switzerland
Maddalena Fiordelli: Institute of Public Health, Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, Università della Svizzera Italiana, 6900 Lugano, Switzerland

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 12, 1-18

Abstract: Supportive measures and training interventions can improve the care of people with dementia and reduce the burden on informal caregivers, whose needs remain largely unmet. iSupport is an evidence-based online intervention developed by the World Health Organization to provide support and self-guided education to informal family caregivers of people with dementia. This qualitative study explored barriers and facilitators in the access and use of supportive measures for family caregivers of people with dementia living in Southern Switzerland (Ticino). We conducted five focus groups and explored experiences, beliefs, and attitudes toward seeking help (SH), and used thematic analysis to identify key themes. Participants (N = 13) reported a general reluctance to SH. We identified four main barriers to SH: high level of burden; sense of duty; fear of being misunderstood by others; and difficulty in reaching information. We also identified facilitators of help seeking behaviors and unveiled the need of caregivers to be assisted by a dementia case manager to facilitate access to support resources. Local services and interventions should be adapted to caregivers’ needs and expectations, with the aim of facilitating the acceptance of, access to, and service integration of existing and future support measures, including iSupport.

Keywords: informal caregivers; iSupport; dementia; help-seeking; training interventions (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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