P102: Pattern of care and impact on family caregivers of people with dementia from a nursing care model perspective.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to give the voice to carers of persons with dementia (PWD) in order to identify the main needs that they feels about health and social care systems attention.METHODS: Qualitative study based on focus group methodology.All groups followed the same structure.Three different investigators analysed and coded the transcription text, triangulated the results and identified main categories.RESULTS: Twenty-five family carers participated (mainly spouse and adult-child).Differences in severity of dementia, cohabitation, or kind of living area (urban or rural) were seeker in the recruitment, also equitation in gender representation.Carers expressed two different categories of unmet needs: a) Related with health and social care system b) related with personal ability to cope with caring situation.Carers did not perceive the Administration as dementia friendly and many participants defined it as rigid and non-personcentred.However, they focused their attention in memory clinic service and the relationship with social care service.The main participant's contribution in that point was the perception of a lack a referent.A person who accompanies them throughout the process.They understood that their situation was chronic and medicine cannot resolve it actually now.For that reason they express great gratitude when some member staff, individually, has developed this function as referent contact independently of their specialty (primary care member, psychologist, social worker or nurse).Secondly, carers expressed the volunteer of be empowered.They done the greatest part of caring and they do not want to change that but, they need some cognitive and emotional tools to cope with it.Understanding dementia and its variability (usually daily), managing behaviour disturbances, knowing some key tips of nursing assistance, etc. were the most repeatedly comments through the groups.CONCLUSIONS: Although dementia is usually see as a medical process, carers defined it as social challenge that implies many actors.Attending carers as part of dementia health caring by administration and including their point of view could improve their quality of life while reduce collateral costs.