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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Family conflict in dementia
— prodigal sons and black sheep | | Author(s) | Carmelle Peisah, Henry Brodaty, Carolyn Quadrio |
| Journal title | International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, vol 21, no 5, May 2006 |
| Pages | pp 485-492 |
| Source | http://www.interscience.wiley.com |
| Keywords | Dementia ; Family relationships ; Attitude ; Court of protection ; Social surveys ; Australia. |
| Annotation | The file notes of 50 cases of family and systems conflict for cases of dementia presented to the Guardianship Tribunal of New South Wales, Australia were examined. Demographics, MMSE score, and type and severity of dementia were recorded. Documents and evidence presented to the Tribunal were coded and subjected to thematic analysis to identify conflict themes, protagonists and the position of the person with dementia with respect to the conflict. Family conflict was most commonly seen in mild to moderate dementia. Conflict occurred most frequently between siblings (with a group of siblings allied against a "black sheep" member) and involved other systems such as service providers in 25% of cases. The person with dementia was usually involved in the conflict or in alliance with one or other of the family members in conflict, especially when paranoid ideation was fuelled by family members. Common themes included accusation of neglect, exploitation, lack of communication, or sequestration of the person with dementia. No family had received family therapy prior to the application. Conciliation during the hearing was successful in 30% of cases. Legal transactions such as powers of attorney were frequently made and frequently revoked by people with dementia involved in family conflict. The understanding of family conflict in dementia has ramifications for both clinical and medico-legal practice. These findings may encourage family-centred interventions which address family dynamics and interpersonal conflict. They may also assist in capacity assessments of people with dementia who change legal documents because of family conflict. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-061109005 A |
| Classmark | EA: DS:SJ: DP: JVC: 3F: 7YA |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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