ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the relationship between carer, family and the person with dementia. It explains the situation from the perspective of the family. Most families wait until they are desperate before asking for help. They have already used up all of their emotional and physical energy reserves. The chances are that when such a person goes to visit their spouse or parent in a residential or nursing home. A young partner of an older person with dementia sometimes still has children at home who also need a lot of attention and time. One's sexual life, normal bickering sessions and even the deep discussions cease. For children who are carers, often the caring is an additional task on top of many others: housekeeping, maintaining relationships and working. Caring for the person with dementia usually means some sort of additional burden, on top of all of the other / normal problems and duties that they have.
