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An Educational Intervention to Support Caregivers of Elders With DementiaDepartment of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, University of California, San Diego Medical Center; Veteran's Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, California, mjdevor{at}san.rr.com
Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, University of California, San Diego Medical Center; Veteran's Affairs San Diego Healthcare System, San Diego, California The majority of home-dwelling elders with dementia are cared for by family members or friends. Interventions to support community-based caregivers are needed. A community-based seminar series was provided to 300 self-referred family caregivers with dementia. Participants were surveyed for caregiver burden and overload and perceived competence before and 6 months after the seminars. In all, 88 (29%) of participants completed a 6-month survey. Self-perceived caregiver competence improved (3.9 ± 1.6 to 5.0 ± 0.32, P < .006); a trend toward improvement in caregiver overload, and there was no change in caregiver burden. Caregivers with baseline parameters indicative of higher burden, overload, or lower competence showed improved scores at 6 months. The educational program was effective in improving competence and may have slowed the expected increase in burden associated with caring for those with a progressive dementia. Caregivers with higher burden may be targeted for this type of intervention, as they seemed to benefit the most.
Key Words: caregiver • dementia • caregiver support • caregiver education
This version was published on June
1, 2008 American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias®, Vol. 23, No. 3,
233-241 (2008) |
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