A study of the factors to improve the competence of family caregivers who care for the elderly with dementia ; An analysis of family caregivers' experience as a lifelong learning

本研究旨在探讨如何提升家庭照顾者的能力，以及如何提供教育支援，本研究利用文献资料描述失智老人的照顾过程，并访谈家庭照顾者团体的代表，收集资料，探讨两个地区性的家庭照顾者分支办事处如何提升家庭照顾者的能力日本老年痴呆症协会。本研究以五份描述失智老人照护过程的文件记录为研究对象，探讨家庭照顾者能力的变化，其能力的发展历程可分为四个阶段。第三阶段为“关怀能力的质的提高”，包括7个范畴45个概念。使用这些概念和类别，促进或阻碍照顾者的能力的潜在因素进行了检查。作为改善因素的项目有6项，作为阻碍因素的项目有4项。笔者选择了6个照顾痴呆症老人的家庭和9个在养老机构工作2年以上的护理人员，分别进行了访谈。基于M-GTA对数据进行定性分析，发现M-GTA衍生出5类20个概念，构成了家庭照顾者认知的变化过程，基于成人特征的教育理论有可能作为提高痴呆老人家庭照顾者能力的方法。

The purpose of this study is to examine the means to improve the competence of family caregivers and the ways to provide educational support to them, using the content of some documentary records in which the caring process for the demented elderly was described.I interviewed the representatives of family caregivers' group and collected material about the approach for the improvement of family caregivers' competence in two local branch offices of Alzheimer's Association Japan. I explored some changes concerning competence of family caregivers, using the content of five documentary records in which the caring process for the demented elderly was described.The process of the caregivers' competence had four stages. The third stage of which was "Qualitative improvement of caring competence", including 45 concepts and 7 categories. Using these concepts and categories, the potential factors promoting or obstructing the caregiver' competence were examined. 6 items were brought together as a factor to produce improvements, and 4 items as a factor to obstruct them.I selected 6 families who are caring for the elderly with dementia, and 9 care workers who have been working at care facilities for the elderly up to two years, and interviewed each one. Data was analyzed qualitatively based on the M-GTA, and showed 5 categories and 20 concepts were derived from it, that composed the changing process of the family caregivers' recognition.There is a possibility that the educational theory based on adults' characteristics was able to be applied as methods for improving the family caregivers' competence for the demented elderly.