Background: Caring for a person with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is associated with significant mental burden e.g., depression and anxiety, and difficulties with social, familial, and professional functioning. To date, few studies have examined variables which would allow for a comprehensive and detailed study of the relationship between personal resources and caregiver health status, with a majority of studies focusing on factors that contribute to increased caregiver’s burden. Moreover, the available evidence fails to address differences in the functioning of formal and informal carers. Paying proper attention to the problems of nursing home staff can help identify important risk factors. Therefore, this study compared mental health problems in informal and formal caregivers and examined the relationship between mental resources and mental health problems in both groups of caregivers. Methods: This cross-sectional study examined 100 formal (n = 50) and informal (n = 50) caregivers of AD patients. Personal resources were measured with the Social Support Questionnaire (SSQ), the Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), and the Sense of Coherence Questionnaire (SCQ), while mental health was assessed with the Depression Assessment Questionnaire (DAQ) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). Multivariate stepwise regression was performed separately for both investigated groups. Results: There were no significant differences between informal and formal caregivers in terms of psychological variables, i.e., sense of coherence, social support, self-efficacy, or mental health problems. In contrast, there were different significant predictors of mental health problems in both groups. Comprehensibility (SCQ) was a significant predictor of mental health problems measured by DAQ and self-efficacy (GSES) was a significant predictor of mental health problems measured by GHQ in informal caregivers. For formal caregivers, emotional support (SSQ) and comprehensibility (SCQ) were significant predictors of mental health problems measured by DAQ, while tangible support (SSQ) and meaningfulness (SCQ) were significant predictors of mental health problems measured by GHQ. Conclusions: Personal resources are significant predictors of mental health outcomes in caregivers of AD patients. Preventive actions should therefore include assessment of factors affecting caregivers’ mental health in order to provide them with necessary care and create appropriate support groups.

This paper presents the results from the study of the effect of halloysite powders on the performance of the slow-setting silicate-based autoclaved aerated concrete (SW production technology). The clay mineral was used as a cement replacement. The material was tested at industrial scale. The test results indicated relationships between halloysite chemical properties and the properties of the ready-made product. The most important properties of the mineral from the kaolinite group include high specific surface area and chemical composition. Physical and mechanical properties were tested in terms of bulk density, porosity, thermal conductivity and compressive strength of the finished product. In addition, the testing programme included determining the influence of halloysite on the phase composition and microstructure of the aerated concrete, using the XRD analysis and SEM imaging

Providing long-term care for a person with Alzheimer’s disease is associated with chronic stress and emotional overload. One of the key predictors of emotional burden is the amount of time devoted to caregiving, which intensifies the experienced stress. Additional risk factors include the stage of the illness, difficulties in the care recipient’s activities of daily living, the caregiver’s neglect of their own needs, and challenging behaviours exhibited by the person receiving care. Therefore, it is essential to identify the psychological protective resources of caregivers that can buffer the impact of stress. Background/Objectives: The objective of the study was to explore the psychological mechanisms underlying the involvement of caregivers supporting individuals with Alzheimer’s disease. A moderated mediation model was employed, in which stress indirectly affects caregiver involvement through a sense of coherence, and the strength of this relationship is moderated by the amount of time devoted to caregiving. Methods: The bootstrapping method was applied using 5000 resamples within a 95% bias-corrected confidence interval. The analysis accounted for variables such as stress levels, sense of coherence, involvement in caregiving, duration of care, education, gender, age, and stage of the illness. Results: The sense of coherence mediated the relationship between stress and involvement in caring (B = 0.0063, SE = 0.0031, 95% CI [0.0012, 0.0135]), and this indirect effect was contingent upon the amount of time devoted to helping. The relationship between sense of coherence and involvement in caring was significant at the mean level (B = 0.005, SE = 0.002, 95% CI [0.0004, 0.0101]) and became stronger at high levels of time devoted to caring (+1 SD; B = 0.009, SE = 0.003, 95% CI [0.0030, 0.0148]). These results indicate that the positive association between sense of coherence and caregiver involvement increases with the amount of time spent caring. Conclusions: The results highlight the importance of strengthening caregivers’ resilience resources—such as a sense of coherence—in preventing overload. The model may serve as a foundation for developing interventions aimed at supporting caregivers’ mental health.

Background: Assuming the role of a caregiver for a person with Alzheimer's disease entails significant physical and psychological burden. This role is rarely taken on by choice, emerges as the disease progresses in a close family member. The caregiver's values and cultural context may play an important role in the decision to continue providing care. The duration of care and the severity of the disease's symptoms are direct factors contributing to burden, and depression. A caregiver's personality may determine how they respond to stressful situations, while knowledge of their system of values may influence their interpretation of the caregiving role and their psychological well-being. Understanding personality types and value hierarchies may support caregivers in adapting to the situation and alleviating burden. Objective: The aim of our study was to identify caregiver profiles based on their personality traits and preferred value system. Methods: To distinguish groups of caregivers based on selected psychological characteristics (personality traits, personal values, caregiving involvement, perceived stress, levels of depression), a cluster analysis using the k-means method was conducted. Results: Analysis of the results enabled the identification of distinct caregiver profiles, with two predominant patterns emerging in this sample, which differed in their personality traits and value systems. Conclusions: Caregivers with a Balanced-Task-Oriented profile exhibited lower levels of stress and depressive symptoms than those with an Unbalanced-Supportive profile. The results suggest that caregivers guided by a strong value system and higher levels of neuroticism are more susceptible to stress and depression than those with a more stable personality.

Cel pracy: Celem badania było poszukiwanie związku między zasobami osobistymi oraz obciążeniem opieką a poziomem satysfakcji z życia u opiekunów osób z otępieniem typu Alzheimera.Metoda: W badaniu wzięło udział 100 opiekunów rodzinnych i zawodowych sprawujących opiekę nad osobą z otępieniem typu Alzheimera. Opiekunowie odpowiadali na pytania ankietowe oraz wypełniali kwestionariusze: Kwestionariusz Orientacji Życiowej – SOC-29, Skala Uogólnionej Własnej Skuteczności (GSES), Kwestionariusz Wsparcia Społecznego (F-SozU K-22), Kwestionariusz do Pomiaru Depresji – KPD, Kwestionariusz Poczucia Stresu – KPS, Kwestionariusz Oceny Zaangażowania (IEQ) oraz Skala Satysfakcji z Życia (SWLS).Wyniki: Większy poziom poczucia satysfakcji z życia stwierdzono u opiekunów posiadających wyższe wykształcenie, będących jedynym opiekunem osoby chorej oraz poświęcających mniej czasu na opiekę. Wyższy poziom posiadanych zasobów oraz mniejsze poczucie obciążenia opieką (mniej objawów depresyjnych, mniejsze zaangażowanie w opiekę oraz mniejsze nasilenie stresu) wiązały się z wyższym poczuciem satysfakcji z życia. Depresyjność opiekunów oraz wysoki poziom odczuwanego stresu obniżają poziom satysfakcji z życia.Wnioski: Zasoby osobiste odgrywają wśród opiekunów istotną rolę w zmniejszaniu obciążenia oraz podtrzymywaniu właściwego poziomu satysfakcji z życia. Właściwe dysponowanie posiadanymi przez opiekunów zasobami jest istotne w celu przeciwdziałania negatywnym konsekwencjom opieki.