People who face the bereavement of a partner with dementia have poorer mental health than those whose partners are dying from other diseases

Commentary on: Shah SM, Carey IM, Harris T, et al. The mental health and mortality impact of death of a partner with dementia. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry 2016;31:929–37.

Implications for practice and research

As caring for a partner with dementia has a negative impact on caregivers' health, supportive interventions need to be offered to active caregivers.

Patients with dementia are less likely to receive palliative care, so these services need to be made more accessible to patients with dementia and their caregivers.

Comparisons between dementia bereaved partners and non-dementia bereaved groups need to be extended to other bereavement-related health problems, including complicated grief.

Context

It has been consistently documented that caring for a family member with dementia is associated with multiple health impairments. Coping with predeath grief, providing end-of-life care and experiencing the death of the care recipient are particularly stressful, but the impact of bereavement on caregivers' health still needs to be...

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