Burnout in caregivers of patients with alzheimer’s disease in India: a case-based approach

Caring for a patient with AD, whether by family members or by trained nurses and healthcare workers, comes at a significant physical and emotional cost.For families, it also causes a significant financial burden.As a result, care givers frequently report stress and symptoms of burnout.A burnt out caregiver does not only pose a threat to their own physical and mental health, but also to the health of the patient due to lapses in caregiving.In extreme cases, a burnt out caregiver may even consciously or subconsciously abuse the patient (caregiver abuse).Therefore, it's crucial that physicians discuss and address the needs of the caregiver while managing care for the patient with AD. Case reportA 79-year-old female, hereby referred to as Mrs. Y, was diagnosed with late stage (advanced) Alzheimer's dementia.She had three children -two daughters and one son.One daughter lived close to her and was her primary caregiver (hereby referred to as Mrs. A), whereas the other two children lived abroad and were largely uninvolved in her care.Mrs. A, the primary caregiver was married, working and had a family of her own.On a recent visit to the neurologist, she reported that her mother's condition had advance and she had begun wandering off to neighbors' houses, getting violent with the help (a full time maid and a part time nurse).She was disruptive at times, shouting and screaming, turning on the TV loud at night.During the patient interview, it was noted that Mrs.A appeared exhausted, exasperated and discouraged with respect to her mother's deteriorating condition.During a visit with the neuropsychologist Mrs.A admitted to being under high levels of stress and even admitted to wishing that her mother's life would end soon.She refused the option of admitting her mother to a dementia care centers or an old age home.