Dementia Caregiver Positive Feeling Scale 21-item version
Instruction Manual for Family Caregivers■What is the Dementia Caregiver Positive Feeling Scale?

It is a questionnaire consisting of 21 items/4 categories (i.e. caregiving, caregiving mastery, positive emotion on
caregiving and support from others) related to conditions, situations and contexts that made the caregiver feelʻgoodʼ when providing care to people with dementia.

■Purpose of development

The scale was developed to elucidate the positive aspects (good sides) of providing care to people with dementia.
Additionally, it was designed to help family caregivers of people with dementia become aware of the good things
that they experienced when providing care to people with dementia. The scale is aimed at helping the family
caregivers who complete the questionnaire engage positively in caregiving.

■How to complete the questionnaire

Questions should be answered by a family member who is providing care to a person with dementia. For items 1‒21:
Please answer how strongly you agree/disagree with each statement regarding your current feelings thathave developed through caregiving. Please circle a number that is most applicable to you (4: ʻstronglyagreeʼ to 1: ʻstrongly disagreeʼ ).
The total or subtotal scores for diﬀerent categories can be obtained by adding numbers that you select as youranswer to the questions or in a speciﬁc category. The higher the score, the more ʻgoodʼ experiences you have had
and perceived. For example, if you selected many 4-point answers (strongly agree) in the category of ʻsupport fromothersʼ and thus obtain a high category (subtotal) score, it indicates that you received support from others and you
could perceive it.
* If you are not using long-term care services, please select ʻ1: strongly disagreeʼ for ʻI got room to breathe by using thelong-term care serviceʼ . Similarly, please select ʻ1: strongly disagreeʼ for other items if you have no relevant experience.

■ Examples of use
By family caregivers▶ Family caregivers can become aware of good things that they have experienced when providing care to people
with dementia.

▶ Completing the questionnaire will provide an opportunity to recall caregiving situations and the associatedthoughts/feelings.

By professional care supporters such as care managers▶ In combination with measures on other aspects such as caregiver burden, professional caregivers can identify

what they perceived as ʻburdenʼ and what made them feel ʻgoodʼ . The results can be used for the developing
support strategies aimed at reducing caregiver burden and emphasising what caregivers felt good about. The
scores can tell how heavy their burden is and how good they felt in quantitative terms.

▶ The results can also be used as a guide during discussions with clientsʼ family members to know theirthoughts/feelings about caregiving.

[Copyright] The Dementia Caregiver Positive Feeling Scale is published on the Web and accessible free of charge. It can be used for
medical/care practice or research freely without permission. However, no changes to wording or other modiﬁcations are allowed.
When the scale is mentioned in a conference presentation, original article, review article, or textbook, please cite the following article.
For commercial purposes, please contact Fuju (m15711048@gunma-u.ac.jp).
[Reference] *When the scale is used for research purposes, please cite the following article as a reference:Fuju T, Yamagami T, Yamaguchi H, Yamazaki T. Development of the Dementia Caregiver Positive Feeling Scale 21-item version(DCPFS-21) in Japan to recognise positive feelings about providing care to people with dementia.
Psychogeriatrics 21(4): 650-658, 2021.
The development of this questionnaire was supported by a Research and Development Grant for Dementia (project number JP19dk0207033) from the Japan Agency for

Medical Research and Development and a JSPS Grant-in-Aid for Scientiﬁc Research (JP18K12990). Revision notes: 2019.7.12 Published on the Web. 2021.7.2 Minor revision
to bibliographic information because of publication of the article. 2021.8.28 [Copyright] added.

Dementia Caregiver Positive Feeling Scale 21-item version
Please read items 1‒21 and answer how strongly you agree/disagree with eachstatement regarding your current feelings that you developed through caregiving.
Strongly
disagreeDisagree alittleAgree a little

Strongly agree

From options 1‒4, please select the one that is most applicableto you and circle that number.

I feel glad that I am taking care of the care-recipient.

１２３４

My relationship with the care-recipient has deepened.

１

２３

４

I think caregiving is a way to return the favour to the care-recipient.

１

２

３

４I feel glad that the care-recipient is here.

１

２

３

４

I learned from the care-recipient.

１

２

３４

I have come to think that there are meanings in my life.

１

２３

４

I have obtained perseverance.

１

２

３

４

I discovered a new side of the care-recipient.

１２３４Items 1‒21 below are a list of ʻconditions, situations and contexts that made the caregiverfeel good when providing care to people with dementiaʼ based on stories of experiencestold by family caregivers of people with dementia, expert opinions and statistical analysis.

pointsSum of 1‒8

Meaning in caregiving
9I have come to praise the care-recipient.

１

２３４

10

When the care recipient repeatedly asks the same questions, I have come toanswer them each time as if for the ﬁrst time.

１

２

３４

11

I have come to listen deeply to the care-recipient.

１

２

３４12

I have come to study more for providing better care.

１

２３４13

I have come to deal with the care-recipient various behaviour(e.g. memory lapses, wandering) properly.

１２３４Caregiving mastery

pointsSum of 9 ‒ 13

14

I feel glad to see the care-recipient smile.

１

２

３４15

I feel glad to see the care-recipient accomplish activities of daily livingsmoothly (e.g. changing clothes, eating).

１

２

３４

16

I feel relieved to see the care-recipient calm down.

１

２

３

４

Positive emotion on caregiving

pointsSum of 14 ‒ 1617

My family moved toward a deeper understanding of dementia.

１２３４18

I feel better after talking with a person in the same situation as myself.

１

２

３４19

I have got room to breathe by using the long-term care service.

１２３４20My neighbours moved toward a deeper understanding of dementia.

１２３４21

I was able to meet a reliable medical/welfare professional.

１

２３４

Support from others
Perception of good things achieved throughcaregiving (dementia caregiver positive feeling)

Sum of 17 ‒ 21

points17〜21
Total ofの合計
1 ‒ 21points