"We Are Doing These Things So That People Will Not Laugh at Us": Caregivers' Attitudes About Dementia and Caregiving in Nigeria

Abstract

Some Nigerians, in their effort to make sense of dementia symptoms, use descriptions that may stigmatize people with dementia and their families. This qualitative descriptive study focused on the everyday understanding of dementia and the impact of stigma on the caregiving experiences of informal female Nigerian dementia caregivers. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 12 adult informal female caregivers in Nigeria and analyzed for themes. Afterward, results were presented to focus groups of 21 adult Nigerians residing in the United States for more contextual insight on the findings. The three major themes were misconceptions about dementia symptoms, caregiving protects against stigmatization, and stigma affects caregiving support. Overall, we argue that knowledge deficit, poor awareness, and traditional spiritual beliefs combine to drive dementia-related stigmatization in Nigeria. Strategies such as culturally appropriate dementia awareness campaigns and formal long-term care policies are urgently needed to help strengthen informal dementia caregiving in Nigeria.

Keywords: Nigeria; aging, home care; caregivers, caretaking, religion, spirituality; culture, cultural competence, dementia, health seeking; health care, immigrants, migrants; health, access to; mental health and illness; qualitative descriptive research; youth, young adults, older people.