Understanding the Empowerment of Family Caregivers of People with Dementia in China: A Qualitative Descriptive Study

Abstract

Background The World Health Organization highlighted that promoting the empowerment of caregivers of people with dementia is one of the priorities of dementia research. The empowerment of family caregivers for people with dementia in China has not been adequately explored. Moreover, the experience of other countries may not apply to China directly because of cultural factors. Methods This qualitative descriptive study was conducted among 27 purposively sampled people with dementia and their caregivers in a metropolitan city in China between October 2023 and January 2024. Semi-structured interviews were employed to understand the current status and needs of empowerment of family caregivers of people with dementia in China from different perspectives. Results Three categories of empowerment of family caregivers for people with dementia were identified: (a) attitudes towards dementia care (respectful, patient, and responsible), (b) knowledge and skills (understanding dementia, support in daily activities, managing challenging behavior, and related cognitive training), (c) support systems (family support, professional support, long-term care support, and community support). Conclusion In China, people with dementia preferred to be taken care of by their family members. The key to empowering family caregivers for people with dementia in China is to strengthen the construction of dementia-friendly communities to provide professional and timely services to family caregivers to improve their caregiving knowledge and skills and maintain positive caregiving attitudes.