[The dementia patient caregiver].

Dementia results in an important economic, social and personal burden. To care for a patient with dementia can be a trascendent learning experience. At the same time, the caregiver's role can become strenuous physical and mental work. This article reviews the importance of assessing the caregiver from the moment of diagnostic work up, the stages the caregiver goes through in the disease evolution, and the "Caregiver syndrome" where the caregiver can become the "second victim" of dementia.