To Be a Good Food Provider: An Exploratory Study Among Spouses of Persons With Alzheimer’s Disease

• Published in: American journal of Alzheimer's disease and other dementias Vol. 25; no. 6; pp. 521 - 526
• Main Authors: Fjellström, Christina, Starkenberg, Åsa, Wesslén, Annika, Licentiate, M.S., Tysén Bäckström, Ann-Christine, Faxén-Irving, Gerd
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01.09.2010
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological; Aged; Alzheimer Disease - diet therapy; Alzheimer Disease - psychology; Caregivers - psychology; dementia; Elder Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; Feeding Behavior; Female; Focus Groups; food knowledge; food provider; gender; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Health Promotion; Humans; Male; MEDICIN; Medicin och hälsovetenskap; MEDICINE; Middle Aged; qualitative study; roles; Spouses - psychology; Sweden; dementia; qualitative study; gender; food provider; food knowledge; roles
• ISSN: 1533-3175; 1938-2731; 1938-2731
• DOI: 10.1177/1533317510377171

Large proportions of people with dementia live at home and need help from a relative. The aim of the current study was to examine how people living with persons with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) perceived everyday life aspects of food choices, cooking, and food-related work. The analyses are based on focus group interviews including women and men acting as caregivers to people with AD and living in Sweden. The main results identified from the data, were how cohabitants to persons with AD struggle with either taking on a new role as a food provider or extending it, but also how they tried to cope as carer, which entailed food being an important part of the treatment of the disease. Those expressing greatest concern were those perceiving themselves as inexperienced food providers and carers, which in this study were all men.