08.01.01. To what extent are informal care workers used to care for people with dementia | South Africa

08.01.01. To what extent are informal care workers used to care for people with dementia | South Africa

15 Aug 2022

There are indications that persons living with dementia are largely cared for by informal carers, especially family members. A study in the Western Cape found that 79% of patients (n=305) at a memory clinic are cared for by family members (of which 74% reported living with a spouse and/or an adult child), compared to 6% that were cared for at a residential care facility, and 10% living alone (Kalula et al., 2010).

References:

Kalula, S. Z., Ferreira, M., Thomas, K. G. F., De Villiers, L., Joska, J. A., & Geffen, L. N. (2010). Profile and management of patients at a memory clinic. South African Medical Journal, 100(7), 449. https://doi.org/10.7196/SAMJ.3384