Mourning and death in informal and professional caregivers of Alzheimer's disease patients
Pérez-Godoy Díaz E., Moreno-Guerín Baños A.J.

SUMMARY

    Alzheimer's disease and other dementias can cause in caregivers diverse feelings, processes and mournings, which are lived in different ways. This occurs both in psychological and actual death.

    By using a methodology of a qualitative research, we look through some different cases of caregivers whose relatives are living in an institution.

    We conclude that not only the actual death can cause a sense of mourning in caregivers of dementia patients, but also the inexorable loss of capacities and eventually their "psychological" death.

    This death also possibly affects the professional caregivers because it shows them their vulnerability as human beings. This type of death makes them to think about the possibility of a death in life.

KEY WORDS

   Alzheimer, mourning, death, family caregiver, professional caregiver.

Vol. 18 nº2-2007