Nearly half of people with dementia are mistreated by their caregivers, according to recent American research.

The study, run by the University of California Irvine Program in Geriatrics and published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, surveyed 129 patients. The researchers found that 46% of participants with dementia   had been mistreated by their caregivers, with 42% experiencing psychological abuse, 10% physical abuse and 14% caregiver neglect.

Risk factors for one or more types of mistreatment for caregivers included higher anxiety, fewer social contacts, greater perceived burden, as well as more depressive symptoms. For patients they included more psychological aggression and any physical assault behaviours.

According to the study, the behaviour of people with dementia towards their caregiver is the best combination of factors for predicting which of the people with dementia had been mistreated. ~ Center of Excellence on Elder Abuse and Neglect, Jun 23