Introduction and aim. One of the most important changes in the care system is that due to increased life expectancy and the shift from acute to chronic diseases, as well as the number of disabled people has increased. Consequently, the number of individuals involved in caregiving, the duration and types of caregiving tasks performed have also changed. For many caregivers such a role has lasted for many years, even decades and caregiving has become a very complex task. The aim of the study is sociodemographic characteristics of non-proffesional caregivers of dementia persons in Poland. Material and methods. 550 caregivers of people with dementia participated in the study. They were recruited in Wielkopolska and Kujawsko-Pomorskie Districts. The study was conducted using a proprietary questionnaire, as well as the CESD scale to assess the level of depression. Results. The mean age was 61.7 ± 13.5 in the examined group. They were mostly women (73%). The results show that the level of pain did not correlate with the level of deppression. Conclusions. The caregivers have external support mainly from other relatives, they got institutional support occasionally.

Key words: dementia, informal caregiver, sociodemographic profile.