THE ROLE OF USING AN ACTIVITY BOOK ON THE INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INFORMAL CAREGIVERS AND THE ELDERLY WITH DEMENTIA

• Main Author: Aulia Rizqi, Zaky
• Format: Theses
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/70930
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Indonesia is predicted to experience an increase in elderly people with dementia, reaching 4 million cases in 2050. Dementia causes its patients to depend on their caregivers to meet their daily needs. The majority of elderly people with dementia are taken care of by informal caregivers voluntarily. However, this task often makes informal caregivers weary. This causes the interactions between the two to be carried out as necessary. On the other hand, several studies prove that informal caregivers can help elderly people with dementia using non-pharmacological activities that hone cognitive abilities, one of which is through activity books. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to delve into an understanding of elderly people with dementia’s responses in using activity books and the role of using activity books on interpersonal relationships between informal caregivers and elderly people with dementia. This design research uses qualitative methods through semi-structured interviews which aim to understand how each participant interprets his experience in using the activity book. The activity book used for this study is the result of previous research work, containing various cognitive materials to be used for one week by five pairs of informal caregiver participants and their parents who have dementia. Thematic analysis was carried out in this study by discussing each participant intraparticipant and interparticipant. From the results of the study, it was concluded that the activity book served as a stimulus for interaction in the majority of participant pairs. Therefore the activity book can also be used as an interactive medium in the non-pharmacological treatment of dementia by making adjustments to the conditions of the caregiver and the sufferer. For further research, it is necessary to carry out a longitudinal research design to see the effectiveness of slowing the rate of decline in cognitive function in elderly people with dementia when using activity books as a non- pharmacological treatment medium.