“We Are Doing These Things So That People Will Not Laugh at Us”: Caregivers’ Attitudes About Dementia and Caregiving in Nigeria

Abstract

Some Nigerians, in their effort to make sense of dementia symptoms, use descriptions that may stigmatize people with dementia and their families. This qualitative descriptive study focused on the everyday understanding of dementia and the impact of stigma on the caregiving experiences of informal female Nigerian dementia caregivers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 12 adult informal female caregivers in Nigeria and analyzed for themes. Afterward, results were presented to focus groups of 21 adult Nigerians residing in the United States for more contextual insight on the findings. The three major themes were misconceptions about dementia symptoms, caregiving protects against stigmatization, and stigma affects caregiving support. Overall, we argue that knowledge deficit, poor awareness, and traditional spiritual beliefs combine to drive dementia-related stigmatization in Nigeria. Strategies such as culturally appropriate dementia awareness campaigns and formal long-term care policies are urgently needed to help strengthen informal dementia caregiving in Nigeria.

Influence of dementia literacy and caregiving appraisal on the psychological wellbeing of informal caregivers of people with dementia: A cross-sectional study

“…This is one of the first studies to investigate the association between dementia literacy, caregiving appraisal, and psychological wellbeing. It is evident that caregivers in this study have limited knowledge of dementia and attitude toward dementia, similar to studies conducted in other countries ( 30 ). The psychological wellbeing status is also not very good, signifying a necessity to explore the essential influencing factors and supporting strategies to improve this situation.…”

COVID-19: Experiences of Social Workers Supporting Older Adults With Dementia in Nigeria

“…Notably, these findings resonate with the experiences of social workers in analogous low and middle-income country settings globally, where the confluence of stress and restricted resources imparts an additional layer of complexity. 1 , 63 This parallel underscores a pervasive global phenomenon, wherein the exigencies of the pandemic further amplify the struggles faced by medical social workers in delivering comprehensive and timely care to individuals with dementia and their families in resource-constrained environments. Hence, there is need for increased resource allocation to healthcare facilities in large countries like Nigeria, by specifically focusing on provisions for dementia care.…”

Religion and the everyday citizenship of people with dementia in Nigeria: A qualitative study

“…In Nigeria, there are several significant limitations to dementia research, care, and policies (Adeloye et al 2019 ; Nwakasi et al 2021 ). Statistics show that the number of Nigerians with dementia is increasing, with an estimated increase of over 400% between 1995 and 2015 (Adeloye et al 2019 ).…”

“…In addition, dementia-related scholarship in Nigeria appears to be skewed towards medical approaches (e.g., Amoo et al 2011 ; Ochayi & Thacher 2006 ; Olakehinde et al 2019 ). While socially orientated perspectives on dementia in Nigeria are evident, they mainly focus on the views of caregivers and community members (Adebiyi et al 2016 ; Nwakasi et al 2021 ; Yusuf & Baiyewu 2012 ), with the perspectives of people with dementia significantly missing.…”