ABSTRACT
The main focus of every preceding chapter in this book has been on the individual with dementia. However, emphasizing the necessity of dementia workup, diagnosis, and treatment without discussing a critical component—the caregiver—would be incomplete. Every individual with dementia requires some degree of assistance with daily living. The degree of assistance varies depending on the type and stage of dementia, but all individuals with a progressive dementia eventually require total care. As of 2000 there were 4 to 5 million Americans suffering from Alzheimer's disease (AD) alone; now that number is around 5.4 million—a 10% to 20% increase in the last 10 years—and it will likely triple by 2050 (Alzheimer's Association, 2012; Hebert et al., 2003). For every individual with AD, there are one or more caregivers who must assume enormous responsibilities day in and day out for years. They must spend time with the affected individual to prepare meals, insure adequate hygiene, administer medications, take them to places and appointments, engage them in activities, monitor their whereabouts and safety—and the list goes on and on.
