Thinking about my grandparent: How dementia influences adolescent grandchildren's perceptions of their grandparents

The study aims to examine how grandchildren perceive their grandparents who suffer from dementia. Grandchildren living in Barcelona, Spain, participated in the study (n = 145). The data, based on qualitative information extracted from three incomplete questions (referring to the grandparent's best and worst qualities, and to the best memory that the participant has of this grandparent), showed that grandchildren mentioned the same best and worst qualities of the grandparent as those reported in other normative studies. Nevertheless, dementia had a strong influence on the responses regarding the grandparent's worst qualities, which reflected characteristics of the disease rather than personal characteristics. Regarding the best memories, participants remembered their grandparent's roles as funseekers and caregivers in the past, emphasizing the importance of this older person during their childhood. In the discussion, we stress the importance of the figure of the grandchild in intervention plans for dementia and the role that grandchildren can play in maintaining the identity of the person with dementia.