Abstract

In the next years and decades, the number of
old spousal dyads having to deal with the onset and progression
of dementia in one partner will increase significantly.
Existing research indicates that caregiving for an ill
spouse is related to decreased caregiver well-being and
high levels of caregiver stress. In this theoretical paper, we
argue that three aspects deserve additional theoretical and
empirical attention: (a) Some spousal caregivers seem to
exhibit stable pattern of individual well-being, (b) dyads
may be able to adapt their ways of supporting each other to
maintain a maximum of dyadic autonomy, and (c) the
progression of the dementia increasingly compromising the
individual autonomy is likely to require different behaviors
and skills of the dyad to achieve high levels of dyadic wellbeing.
We suggest a 3-phase-model of dyadic adaptation to
dementia-related losses of patients’ individual autonomy
and discuss adaptive processes in three phases of dementia
that may allow stable levels of well-being in caregivers
over time. Thereby, our model can integrate existing
findings and theories and allows deriving areas of future
research.