It is estimated that 1.2 million Australians are currently caring for someone with dementia. Caring for somebody with dementia can become more complicated by the presence of behavioural problems (e.g. depression, anxiety, apathy, aggression) in the person with dementia. These behavioural problems can contribute significantly to carer burden and distress. This study aims to improve our understanding of how interactions between the carer and the care-recipient affect behavioural problems in dementia. A better understanding of these interactions will help us develop programmes which can be used to assist the carer and those suffering from dementia to minimise the negative impact of problem behaviours in dementia. This study is interested in your experiences either as a person living with dementia or as a carer of someone living with dementia.

If you are interested in participating in this research and are:

A primary carer

• Who is a spouse/partner/child of the person living with dementia?
• Spends 4 or more hours per day caring for the person living with dementia?
• Spends 4 or more days a week caring for the person living with dementia?
• Who is knowledgeable about the daytime and night-time behaviours of the person living with dementia?
• Have good cognitive function?

A person living with dementia

• Who is above the age of 60 years?
• Lives at home?
• Has a formal diagnosis of dementia?
• Has no history of malignant disease, neurosurgery, or neurological conditions (e.g. Parkinson’s disease, stroke, epilepsy, tumours)?

Please contact us on besyde@anu.edu.au or call Ellen on 02 6125 9599 or Tara on 02 6125 9180.