P24: Quality of life of family carers of people living with dementia: Review of systematic reviews of observational and intervention studies

Abstract

Objectives: Family members are the primary source of support for the growing number of people living with dementia (PLWD) worldwide. However, caring for a person living with dementia can have detrimental impacts on the carer quality of life (QoL). This review of systematic reviews was aimed at exploring the factors associated with the QoL of family carers of PLWD and interventions aimed at improving theirQoL.

Methods: Several health-related databases (PUBMED, Psychinfo, Google Scholar and COCHRANE) were consulted in November 2022. Nineteen systematic reviews were included, and their Methodsological quality was assessed via AMSTAR-2.

Results: Nineteen systematic reviews published from 2014 to 2022 were included, of which three assessed the factors associated with the QoL of carers and 16 assessed the impact of interventions on family carer QoL and other outcomes. Several intrinsic and extrinsic factors associated with carer QoL were identified and included dementia symptoms and its care demands, provision of formal support, relationship quality between carer and PLWD, carer physical and mental health, positive psychological traits, and age-specific needs. Systematic reviews of interventions showed promising, yet modest and heterogeneous effects, with no one-fits-all strategy that can improve the QoL of all carers. For this reason, person-centred and outcome-focused approaches have been called for, as well as more qualitative studies exploring the negative as well as positive experiences of QoL among carers. Evidence also points out to the importance of using dementia specific QoL scales instead of generic QoL scales so that relevant caregiving aspects affecting carer QoL can be considered

Conclusions: Evidence suggests the need for a person-centred approach to improving carer QoL, considering individual and contextual needs as well as the continuum and progressive nature of dementia care. Future research should be focused on understanding how to best implement and measure person-centred care approaches to carer QoL, including cost- effectiveness. More qualitative studies are necessary to explore carer negative and positive experiences of QoL.