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Hoffman AS, Bateman DR, Ganoe C, Punjasthitkul S, Das AK, Hoffman DB, Housten AJ, Peirce HA, Dreyer L, Tang C, Bennett A, Bartels SJ. Development and Field Testing of a Long-Term Care Decision Aid Website for Older Adults: Engaging Patients and Caregivers in User-Centered Design. THE GERONTOLOGIST 2020; 60:935-946. [PMID: 31773140 PMCID: PMC7456976 DOI: 10.1093/geront/gnz141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Decisions about long-term care and financing can be difficult to comprehend, consider, and communicate. In a previous needs assessment, families in rural areas requested a patient-facing website; however, questions arose about the acceptability of an online tool for older adults. This study engaged older adults and family caregivers in (a) designing and refining an interactive, tailored decision aid website, and (b) field testing its utility, feasibility, and acceptability. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Based on formative work, the research team engaged families in designing and iteratively revising paper drafts, then programmed a tailored website. The field test used the ThinkAloud approach and pre-/postquestionnaires to assess participants' knowledge, decisional conflict, usage, and acceptability ratings. RESULTS Forty-five older adults, family members, and stakeholders codesigned and tested the decision aid, yielding four decision-making steps: Get the Facts, What Matters Most, Consider Your Resources, and Make an Action Plan. User-based design and iterative storyboarding enhanced the content, personal decision-making activities, and user-generated resources. Field-testing participants scored 83.3% correct on knowledge items and reported moderate/low decisional conflict. All (100%) were able to use the website, spent an average of 26.3 min, and provided an average 87.5% acceptability rating. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS A decision aid website can educate and support older adults and their family members in beginning a long-term care plan. Codesign and in-depth interviews improved usability, and lessons learned may guide the development of other aging decision aid websites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aubri S Hoffman
- Department of Community and Family Medicine, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, Lebanon, New Hampshire
| | - Daniel R Bateman
- Department of Community and Family Medicine, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, Lebanon, New Hampshire
- Department of Psychiatry, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, Lebanon, New Hampshire
| | - Craig Ganoe
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, Lebanon, New Hampshire
| | - Sukdith Punjasthitkul
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, Lebanon, New Hampshire
| | - Amar K Das
- Department of Biomedical Data Science, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, Lebanon, New Hampshire
| | - Derek B Hoffman
- Department of Community and Family Medicine, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, Lebanon, New Hampshire
| | - Ashley J Housten
- Department of Surgery, Washington University School of Medicine at St. Louis, Missouri
| | - Hillary A Peirce
- Department of Community and Family Medicine, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, Lebanon, New Hampshire
| | - Larissa Dreyer
- Department of Community and Family Medicine, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, Lebanon, New Hampshire
| | - Chen Tang
- Department of Community and Family Medicine, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, Lebanon, New Hampshire
| | - Alina Bennett
- Department of Regional Ethics, Kaiser Permanente Northern California Regional, Oakland, California
| | - Stephen J Bartels
- Department of Community and Family Medicine, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, Lebanon, New Hampshire
- Department of Psychiatry, Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth College, Lebanon, New Hampshire
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Mehta KM, Gallagher-Thompson D, Varghese M, Loganathan S, Baruah U, Seeher K, Zandi D, Dua T, Pot AM. iSupport, an online training and support program for caregivers of people with dementia: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial in India. Trials 2018; 19:271. [PMID: 29739423 PMCID: PMC5941472 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-018-2604-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/03/2017] [Accepted: 03/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Dementia has a huge physical, psychological, social and economic impact upon caregivers, families and societies at large. There has been a growing impetus to utilize Internet interventions given the potential scalability, and presumed cost-effectiveness and accessibility. In this paper, we describe the design of a randomized controlled trial (RCT) aiming to study the impact of online self-help programs on caregivers of people with dementia in India. The experimental group will receive an interactive training and support program and the comparison group will receive an education-only e-book. It will be among the first online support intervention RCTs for a mental health condition in a lower-middle income country. Methods and design Two hundred and eight participants are expected to be recruited via several strategies (email, Internet and social media, telephone and face-to-face) starting in the Bangalore region of India. The inclusion criteria for participation in the trial are: (1) being 18 years or older, (2) being a self-reported caregiver of a person with dementia, (3) self-report that a family member has a diagnosis of dementia (AD8 ≥ 2), and experience caregiver distress (≥ 4 on a 1-item burden scale ranging from 1 to 10 or ≥ 4 or < 20 on the Center for Epidemiologic Study-Depression (CES-D) scale (10-item) or ≥ 4 or < 15 on the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (7-item). The intervention group will be offered iSupport, an online self-help training and support program, enabling a personalized education plan with a maximum of 23 lessons. These modules present a range of topics from “what is dementia?” to “dealing with challenging behaviors like aggression.” The comparison group will receive an education-only e-book containing similar content. The outcomes of this trial are: caregiver burden as measured by the 22-item Zarit Burden Scale, depressive symptoms, anxiety symptoms (primary outcomes), quality of life, person-centered attitude, self-efficacy and mastery (secondary outcomes). Discussion Based on the findings of this trial, we will examine the potential use and scale up of iSupport for caregiver distress in India. This style of online self-help programs could be expanded to other regions or countries or to other suitable caregiver groups. Trial registration Clinical Trials Registry—India (CTRI), ID: CTRI/2017/02/007876. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13063-018-2604-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kala M Mehta
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Dolores Gallagher-Thompson
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Mathew Varghese
- Geriatric Clinic and Services, Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, India
| | - Santosh Loganathan
- Geriatric Clinic and Services, Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, India
| | - Upasana Baruah
- Geriatric Clinic and Services, Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences, Bengaluru, India
| | - Katrin Seeher
- World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Diana Zandi
- World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Tarun Dua
- World Health Organization (WHO), Geneva, Switzerland
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González-Fraile E, Solà I, Ballesteros J, Rueda JR, Martinez G, Santos B. Information, support and training for informal caregivers of people with dementia. THE COCHRANE DATABASE OF SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS 2015. [DOI: 10.1002/14651858.cd006440.pub2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo González-Fraile
- Hermanas Hospitalarias (Fundación Mª Josefa Recio - Instituto de Investigaciones Psiquiátricas); Department of Mental Health; C/ Egaña 10 Bilbao Spain 48010
| | - Ivan Solà
- CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP) - Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; Iberoamerican Cochrane Centre - Biomedical Research Institute Sant Pau (IIB Sant Pau); Sant Antoni Maria Claret 171 - Edifici Casa de Convalescència Barcelona Catalunya Spain 08041
| | - Javier Ballesteros
- University of the Basque Country; Department of Neuroscience; Barrio Sarriena S/N PO Box 699 Leioa Spain E-48080
| | - José-Ramón Rueda
- University of the Basque Country; Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health; Barrio Sarriena S.N. Leioa Bizkaia Spain E-48080
| | - Gabriel Martinez
- Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Universidad de Antofagasta, Servicio de Salud Antofagasta, Hospital Regional de Antofagasta; Iberoamerican Cochrane Centre, Barcelona, Spain; Avenida Argentina Nº 2000 Antofagasta Antofagasta Chile 127001
| | - Borja Santos
- University of the Basque Country; Department of Neuroscience; Barrio Sarriena S/N PO Box 699 Leioa Spain E-48080
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Zendjidjian XY, Boyer L. Challenges in measuring outcomes for caregivers of people with mental health problems. DIALOGUES IN CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCE 2015. [PMID: 25152655 PMCID: PMC4140510 DOI: 10.31887/dcns.2014.16.2/xzendjidjian] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are increasingly important in health care and mental health research. Furthermore, caregivers become partners in care for patients with mental disorders, and health workers are more attentive to the expectations and needs of caregivers. A number of outcomes for caregivers are measured and used in daily practice in order to promote actions to improve health care systems and progress in research on the impact of mental disorders on their caregivers. This paper proposes an inventory of the different outcomes and different measurement tools used to assess the impact of disorders, raising a number of methodological and conceptual issues that limit the relevance of measurement tools and complicate their use. Finally, we propose some recommendations promoting the development of relevant outcome measures for caregivers and their integration into current systems of care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xavier Y Zendjidjian
- Aix-Marseille University, EA 3279-Public Health, Chronic Diseases and Quality of Life-Research Unit, Marseille, France; Department of Psychiatry, La Conception University Hospital, Marseille, France
| | - Laurent Boyer
- Aix-Marseille University, EA 3279-Public Health, Chronic Diseases and Quality of Life -Research Unit, Marseille, France
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Rosell-Murphy M, Bonet-Simó JM, Baena E, Prieto G, Bellerino E, Solé F, Rubio M, Krier I, Torres P, Mimoso S. Intervention to improve social and family support for caregivers of dependent patients: ICIAS study protocol. BMC FAMILY PRACTICE 2014; 15:53. [PMID: 24666438 PMCID: PMC4230240 DOI: 10.1186/1471-2296-15-53] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2014] [Accepted: 03/12/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Background Despite the existence of formal professional support services, informal support (mainly family members) continues to be the main source of eldercare, especially for those who are dependent or disabled. Professionals on the primary health care are the ideal choice to educate, provide psychological support, and help to mobilize social resources available to the informal caregiver. Controversy remains concerning the efficiency of multiple interventions, taking a holistic approach to both the patient and caregiver, and optimum utilization of the available community resources. .For this reason our goal is to assess whether an intervention designed to improve the social support for caregivers effectively decreases caregivers burden and improves their quality of life. Methods/design Design: Controlled, multicentre, community intervention trial, with patients and their caregivers randomized to the intervention or control group according to their assigned Primary Health Care Team (PHCT). Study area: Primary Health Care network (9 PHCTs). Study participants: Primary informal caregivers of patients receiving home health care from participating PHCTs. Sample: Required sample size is 282 caregivers (141 from PHCTs randomized to the intervention group and 141 from PHCTs randomized to the control group. Intervention: a) PHCT professionals: standardized training to implement caregivers intervention. b) Caregivers: 1 individualized counselling session, 1 family session, and 4 educational group sessions conducted by participating PHCT professionals; in addition to usual home health care visits, periodic telephone follow-up contact and unlimited telephone support. Control: Caregivers and dependent patients: usual home health care, consisting of bimonthly scheduled visits, follow-up as needed, and additional attention upon request. Data analysis Dependent variables: Caregiver burden (short-form Zarit test), caregivers’ social support (Medical Outcomes Study), and caregivers’ reported quality of life (SF-12) Independent variables: a) Caregiver: sociodemographic data, Goldberg Scale, Apgar family questionnaire, Holmes and Rahe Psychosocial Stress Scale, number of chronic diseases. b) Dependent patient: sociodemographic data, level of dependency (Barthel Index), cognitive impairment (Pfeiffer test). Discussion If the intervention intended to improve social and family support is effective in reducing the burden on primary informal caregivers of dependent patients, this model can be readily applied throughout usual PHCT clinical practice. Trial registration Clinical trials registrar: NCT02065427
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Rosell-Murphy
- Primary Care Team, Serraparera, Institut Català de la Salut, Cerdanyola del Vallès, Barcelona 08290, Spain.
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Chiatti C, Masera F, Rimland JM, Cherubini A, Scarpino O, Spazzafumo L, Lattanzio F. The UP-TECH project, an intervention to support caregivers of Alzheimer's disease patients in Italy: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials 2013; 14:155. [PMID: 23714287 PMCID: PMC3748825 DOI: 10.1186/1745-6215-14-155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2012] [Accepted: 05/14/2013] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The epidemic of Alzheimer's disease (AD) represents a significant challenge for the health care and social service systems of many developed countries. AD affects both patients and family caregivers, on whom the main burden of care falls, putting them at higher risk of stress, anxiety, mortality and lower quality of life. Evidence remains controversial concerning the effectiveness of providing support to caregivers of AD patients, through case management, counseling, training, technological devices and the integration of existing care services. The main objectives of the UP-TECH project are: 1) to reduce the care burden of family caregivers of AD patients; and 2) to maintain AD patients at home. METHODS/DESIGN A total of 450 dyads comprising AD patients and their caregivers in five health districts of the Marche region, Italy, will be randomized into three study arms. Participants in the first study arm will receive comprehensive care and support from a case manager (an ad hoc trained social worker) (UP group). Subjects in the second study arm will be similarly supported by a case manager, but in addition will receive a technological toolkit (UP-TECH group). Participants in the control arm will only receive brochures regarding available services. All subjects will be visited at home by a trained nurse who will assess them using a standardized questionnaire at enrollment (M0), 6 months (M6) and 12 months (M12). Follow-up telephone interviews are scheduled at 24 months (M24). The primary outcomes are: 1) caregiver burden, measured using the Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI); and 2) the actual number of days spent at home during the study period, defined as the number of days free from institutionalizations, hospitalizations and stays in an observation unit of an emergency room. DISCUSSION The UP-TECH project protocol integrates previous evidence on the effectiveness of strategies in dementia care, that is, the use of case management, new technologies, nurse home visits and efforts toward the integration of existing services in an ambitious holistic design. The analysis of different interventions is expected to provide sound evidence of the effectiveness and cost of programs supporting AD patients in the community. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01700556.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Chiatti
- Italian National Research Center on Aging (INRCA), Ancona, Italy
| | - Filippo Masera
- Italian National Research Center on Aging (INRCA), Ancona, Italy
| | - Joseph M Rimland
- Italian National Research Center on Aging (INRCA), Ancona, Italy
| | | | - Osvaldo Scarpino
- Italian National Research Center on Aging (INRCA), Ancona, Italy
| | - Liana Spazzafumo
- Italian National Research Center on Aging (INRCA), Ancona, Italy
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Schoenmakers B, Buntinx F, Delepeleire J. What is the role of the general practitioner towards the family caregiver of a community-dwelling demented relative? A systematic literature review. Scand J Prim Health Care 2009; 27:31-40. [PMID: 19040191 PMCID: PMC3410474 DOI: 10.1080/02813430802588907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To identify the attitudes and perspectives of the family physician towards the caregivers of demented relatives and to describe the caregivers' satisfaction. DESIGN Systematic review. SUBJECTS The studied population consisted of dementia family and their general practitioners. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Outcome measures were the generic tasks and skills of the general practitioner to improve home care from the perspective of the family caregiver. Caregivers were assessed on satisfaction regarding the care provided by their general practitioner. RESULTS The general practitioner is aware of his/her skills and limits in all aspects of dementia care and his/her role towards the family caregiver. They also acknowledged the importance of an adequate diagnostic process, but they felt uncomfortable disclosing the diagnosis to both the patient and the caregiver. They reported having more confidence in treatment matters than in diagnostic stages. Caregivers' reports on the attitude of their general practitioner in the diagnostic process were rated from helpful to poorly empathized. General practitioners found themselves to be highly involved in dementia home care, but caregivers rated their involvement to be insufficient. The lack of appropriate communication skills of general practitioners was also not appreciated by the caregivers. A lack of time and reward was considered by the general practitioner to be a major obstacle in dementia care. CONCLUSION The key role of general practitioners as care providers and care planners is consolidated by the family caregivers' confidence in their skills. Clear guidelines from early diagnosis to adequate referrals should improve the ability of the general practitioner to support these time and energy-consuming home-care situations. Intervention studies addressing the gaps in the skills of the general practitioners in dementia home care management could be helpful in supporting the family caregiver.
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Affiliation(s)
- Birgitte Schoenmakers
- Catholic University Leuven, Academic Centre of General Practice, Kapucijnenvoer 33, Leuven, Belgium.
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Shibata K, Narumoto J, Kitabayashi Y, Ushijima Y, Fukui K. Correlation between anosognosia and regional cerebral blood flow in Alzheimer's disease. Neurosci Lett 2008; 435:7-10. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2008.01.065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2007] [Revised: 01/09/2008] [Accepted: 01/22/2008] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Vernooij-Dassen M, Downs M. Cognitive and behavioural interventions for carers of people with dementia. THE COCHRANE DATABASE OF SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS 2005. [DOI: 10.1002/14651858.cd005318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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Badia Llach X, Lara Suriñach N, Roset Gamisans M. [Quality of life, time commitment and burden perceived by the principal informal caregiver of Alzheimer's patients]. Aten Primaria 2005; 34:170-7. [PMID: 15388064 PMCID: PMC7668642 DOI: 10.1016/s0212-6567(04)78904-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the impact in Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL), the time commitment and the burden perceived by the principal informal caregiver (PIC) of Alzheimer's patients (AP) in Spain, as well as the type and amount of external help received. DESIGN Multicentric descriptive cross-sectional study. PATIENTS A randomised sample of 268 PIC were included from 19 Alzheimer's Patient Family Associations (APFA) randomly selected from all Spanish regions. MEASURES Data were collected using a structured telephone interview with the CATI system. HRQoL was measured using the questionnaire EuroQoL-5D. Information was also collected on the health problems of the PIC, the burden perceived (using the specific Zarit scale), the time commitment of PICs (hours per day), type of activity, as well as the amount and type of external help received. RESULTS The HRQoL of the PIC showed to be worse than the general population in the EQ-5D, except in the self-care dimension. A total of 84% of PIC had physical problems related to the care given to the AP and 94.4% had psychological problems. The Zarit scale showed that 46.5% of caregivers had a level of burden between severe and moderated, while in 34.7% was severe. Time commitment was more than 8 hours per day in 72.1% of them and more than 20 hours per day in 39.6%. Only 26.9% of the PIC received some sort of socio-sanitary help and 76.5% received help from the APFA. CONCLUSIONS Caregivers of AP suffer a negative impact on their health state and HRQoL; the time they dedicate to the patient is very high.
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Affiliation(s)
- X Badia Llach
- Departamento de Epidemiología, Clínica y Salud Pública, Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Barcelona, Spain.
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Argimón Pallas J. [Commentary: how effective are support interventions for caregivers of patients with dementia?]. Aten Primaria 2004; 33:67-8. [PMID: 14967122 PMCID: PMC7668862 DOI: 10.1016/s0212-6567(04)79353-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
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Pusey H, Richards D. A systematic review of the effectiveness of psychosocial interventions for carers of people with dementia. Aging Ment Health 2001; 5:107-19. [PMID: 11511058 DOI: 10.1080/13607860120038302] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Historically, there have been many attempts to develop interventions to support the carers of people with dementia. To date the evidence of effectiveness has been limited. However, the success of psychosocial interventions for carers of people with schizophrenia has suggested the possibility of utilizing this approach. A systematic review was undertaken to assess the evidence of effectiveness for psychosocial interventions with carers of people with dementia. Thirty controlled trials that evaluated a psychosocial approach were identified. The overall methodological quality of these studies was poor, particularly with regard to sample size, and methods of random allocation. Individualized interventions that utilized problem solving and behaviour management demonstrated the best evidence of effectiveness. This approach is also closest to the effective model of psychosocial interventions currently in use with other severe and enduring illnesses. This suggests that there is scope for developing interventions, based more specifically on this model, for supporting the carers of people with dementia.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Pusey
- School of Nursing, University of Manchester, UK.
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