Exploring professional caregivers' perceptions. Balancing self-care with care for patients with Alzheimer's disease.

With the are hundreds of studies about caregiver burden related to family caregivers that exist, little has been written about caregiver burden as it pertains to professional caregivers. The purpose of this study was to explore professional caregivers' perception and meaning associated with their caring for patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Twenty-two professional caregivers were interviewed. Content analysis was used to clarify respondents' interview data. Several themes emerged from the data related to beliefs about choosing and maintaining AD caregiving role, beliefs about self-efficacy, commitment and self-satisfaction, nature of family interaction of individuals with AD, grieving responses, and ability to maintain self-care through social support as well as solitary time. Implications include AD professional burden measurement; study related to recruitment, orientation, and staffing patterns; and effect on the quality of care provided to patients and their families.