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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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| Effectiveness of a psychoeducational intervention program in the reduction of caregiver burden in alzheimer's disease patients' caregivers | | Author(s) | Manuel Martin-Carrasco, Manuel Franco Martin, Carmelo Pelegrin Valero |
| Journal title | International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, vol 24, no 5, May 2009 |
| Pages | pp 489-499 |
| Source | http://www.interscience.wiley.com/journal/gps |
| Keywords | Dementia ; Informal care ; Group work ; Self help organisations ; Therapy ; Stress ; Evaluation ; Spain. |
| Annotation | Caregivers of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) experience physical and psychological stress due to the caring experience. This study evaluated the benefits of a Psychoeducational Intervention Program (PIP) on caregiver burden in southern Europe. A multicentre, prospective, randomised study was conducted. 115 Spanish caregivers of patients with clinical diagnosis of AD (DSM-IV-TR criteria, mini-mental score = 10-26) and functional impairment (Lawton and Brody Scale and Katz Index) were recruited. Caregivers were randomised to receive either PIP (IG: intervention group, n = 60) or standard care (CG: control group, n = 55). PIP consisted of eight individual sessions over 4 months for teaching strategies for confronting problems of AD patient care. Caregivers' stress, quality of life and perceived health were measured using validated scales (Zarit, SF-36, GHQ-28, respectively) at baseline and after 4 and 10-months follow-up. A mean change in caregiver burden (Zarit baseline - Zarit final scores) was statistically significant showing an improvement in the IG and a worsening in the CG. The IG showed significant improvements in all the well-being perception areas measured by the SF-36 and a significantly lower score in the GHQ-28. 97.7% of caregivers and 88.6% of therapists considered PIP useful or very useful at 4 months (the end of PIP), whereas at 10 months the estimates were 93.2% and 86.3%, respectively. Conclusions reached were that psychosocial training of caregivers can minimise caregiver distress and help them to develop problem-solving strategies. A PIP improves quality of life and the perceived health of caregivers of patients with AD. (KJ/RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-090824012 A |
| Classmark | EA: P6: IGG: PQ: LO: QNH: 4C: 76S |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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