Dementia is unlike any other illness. When a family member is diagnosed with dementia the family starts looking after the person without hardly any information on the disease. Available medical treatment has several limitations. The duration of the disease is fairly long, and passes through three stages, each bringing different challenges. It is also observed that accepting this disease is often a long process often accompanied by a range of emotions.
Caregiver training becomes significant against this background. Training in dealing with dementia prepares the family for taking up this challenge. The training program not only provides information on dementia but equips the family with basic caregiver skills and helps plan for caregiving. It brings out strategies to deal with changed behaviour patterns observed in the persons with dementia. The training helps in improving quality of care and quality of life of the patient and the caregiver.