Community based occupational therapy for patients with dementia and their care givers: randomised controlled trial. Effectiveness of interventions that assist caregivers to support people with dementia living in the community: a systematic review Increased Framingham Coronary Heart Disease Risk Score in Dementia Caregivers Relative to Non-Caregiving Controls The Effect of a Personalized Dementia Care Intervention for Caregivers From Australian Minority Groups Effects of Self-Management Groups for People with Dementia and Their Spouses--Randomized Controlled Trial. Evaluation of a problem-solving (PS) techniques-based intervention for informal carers of patients with dementia receiving in-home care. Cancer caregiver quality of life: need for targeted intervention. User evaluation of the DEMentia-specific Digital Interactive Social Chart (DEM-DISC). A pilot study among informal carers on its impact, user friendliness and, usefulness Effectiveness of interventions that assist caregivers to support people with dementia living in the community: a systematic review. A home-based training program improves caregivers' skills and dementia patients' aggressive behaviors: a randomized controlled trial. Dementelcoach: effect of telephone coaching on carers of community-dwelling people with dementia. Learning to Live With a Loved One With Mild Cognitive Impairment
OBJECTIVE To determine the effectiveness of community based occupational therapy on daily functioning of patients with dementia and the sense of competence of their care givers . DESIGN Single blind r and omised controlled trial . Assessors were blinded for treatment allocation . SETTING Memory clinic and day clinic of a geriatrics department and participants ' homes . PARTICIPANTS 135 patients aged > or = 65 with mild to moderate dementia living in the community and their primary care givers . INTERVENTIONS 10 sessions of occupational therapy over five weeks , including cognitive and behavioural interventions , to train patients in the use of aids to compensate for cognitive decline and care givers in coping behaviours and supervision . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Patients ' daily functioning assessed with the assessment of motor and process skills ( AMPS ) and the performance scale of the interview of deterioration in daily activities in dementia ( IDDD ) . Care giver burden assessed with the sense of competence question naire ( SCQ ) . Participants were evaluated at baseline , six weeks , and three months . RESULTS Scores improved significantly relative to baseline in patients and care givers in the intervention group compared with the controls ( differences were 1.5 ( 95 % confidence interval 1.3 to 1.7 ) for the process scale ; -11.7 ( -13.6 to -9.7 ) for the performance scale ; and ( 11.0 ; 9.2 to 12.8 ) for the competence scale ) . This improvement was still significant at three months . The number needed to treat to reach a clinical ly relevant improvement in motor and process skills score was 1.3 ( 1.2 to 1.4 ) at six weeks . Effect sizes were 2.5 , 2.3 , and 1.2 , respectively , at six weeks and 2.7 , 2.4 , and 0.8 , respectively , at 12 weeks . CONCLUSIONS Occupational therapy improved patients '  daily functioning and reduced the burden on the care giver , despite the patients ' limited learning ability . Effects were still present at 12 weeks , which justifies implementation of this intervention . TRIAL REGISTRATION Clinical Trials NCT00295152 [ Clinical Trials.gov ] Objectives The objective of this review was to assess the effectiveness of interventions that assist caregivers to provide support for people living with dementia in the community . Inclusion criteria Types of participants Adult caregivers who provide support for people with dementia living in the community ( non‐institutional care ) . Types of interventions Interventions design ed to support caregivers in their role such as skills training , education to assist in caring for a person living with dementia and support groups/programs . Interventions of formal approaches to care design ed to support caregivers in their role , care planning , case management and specially design ated members of the healthcare team ‐ for example dementia nurse specialist or volunteers trained in caring for someone with dementia . Types of studies This review considered any meta‐analyses , systematic review s , r and omised control trials , quasi‐experimental studies , cohort studies , case control studies and observational studies without control groups that addressed the effectiveness of interventions that assist caregivers to provide support for people living with dementia in the community . Search strategy The search sought to identify published studies from 2000 to 2005 through the use of electronic data bases . Only studies in English were considered for inclusion . The initial search was conducted of the data bases , CINAHL , MEDLINE and PsychINFO using search strategies adapted from the Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Improvement Group . A second more extensive search was then conducted using the appropriate Medical Subject Headings ( MeSH ) and keywords for other available data bases . Finally , h and search ing of reference lists of articles retrieved and of core dementia , geriatric and psycho geriatric journals was undertaken . Assessment of quality Method ological quality of each of the articles was assessed by two independent review ers using appraisal checklist developed by the Joanna Briggs Institute and based on the work of the Cochrane Collaboration and Centre for Review s and Dissemination . Data collection and analysis St and ardised mean differences or weighted mean differences and their 95 % confidence intervals were calculated for each included study reported in the meta‐ analysis . Results from comparable groups of studies were pooled in statistical meta‐ analysis using Review Manager Software from the Cochrane Collaboration . Heterogeneity between combined studies was tested using st and ard chi‐square test . Where statistical pooling was not appropriate or possible , the findings are summarised in narrative form . Results A comprehensive search of relevant data bases , h and search ing and cross referencing found 685 articles that were assessed for relevance to the review . Eighty‐five papers appeared to meet the inclusion criteria based on title and abstract , and the full paper was retrieved . Of the 85 full papers review ed , 40 were accepted for inclusion , three were systematic review s , three were meta‐ analysis , and the remaining 34 were r and omised controlled trials . For the r and omised controlled trials that were able to be included in a meta‐ analysis , st and ardised mean differences or weighted mean differences and their 95 % confidence intervals were calculated for each . Results from comparable groups of studies were pooled in statistical meta‐ analysis using Review Manager Software and heterogeneity between combined studies was assessed by using the chi‐square test . Where statistical pooling was not appropriate or possible , the findings are summarised in narrative form . The results are discussed in two main sections . Firstly it was possible to assess the effectiveness of different types of caregiver interventions on the outcome categories of depression , health , subjective well‐being , self‐efficacy and burden . Secondly , results are reported by main outcome category . For each of these sections , meta‐ analysis was conducted where it was possible ; otherwise , a narrative summary describes the findings . Effectiveness of intervention type Four categories of intervention were included in the review ‐ psycho‐educational , support , multi‐component and other . Psycho‐educational Thirteen studies used  psycho‐educational interventions , and all but one showed positive results across a range of outcomes . Eight studies were entered in a meta‐ analysis . No significant impact of psycho‐educational interventions was found for the outcome categories of subjective well‐being , self‐efficacy or health . However , small but significant results were found for the categories of depression and burden . Support Seven studies discussed support only interventions and two of these showed significant results . These two studies were suitable for meta‐ analysis and demonstrated a small but significant improvement on caregiver burden . Multi‐component Twelve of the studies report multi‐component interventions and 10 of these report significant outcomes across a broad range of outcome measures including self‐efficacy , depression , subjective well‐being and burden . Unfortunately because of the heterogeneity of study design s and outcome measures , no meta‐ analysis was possible . Other interventions Other interventions included the use of exercise or nutrition which result ed in improvements in psychological distress and health benefits .  Case management and a computer aided support intervention provided mixed results . One cognitive behavioural therapy study reported a reduction in anxiety and positive impacts on patient behaviour . Effectiveness of interventions using specific outcome categories In addition to analysis by type of intervention it was possible to analyse results based on some outcome categories that were used across the studies . In particular the impact of interventions on  caregiver depression was available for meta‐ analysis from eight studies . This indicated that multi‐component and psycho‐educational interventions showed a small but significant positive effect on caregiver depression . Five studies using the outcome category of caregiver burden  were entered into a meta‐ analysis and findings indicated that there were no significant effects of any of interventions . No meta‐ analysis was possible for the outcome categories of health , self‐efficacy or subjective well‐being . Implication s for practice From this review there is evidence to support the use of well‐ design ed psycho‐educational or multi‐component interventions for caregivers of people with dementia who live in the community . Factors that appear to positively contribute to effective interventions are those which : Provide opportunities within the intervention for the person with dementia as well as the caregiver to be involved Encourage active participation in educational interventions for caregivers Offer individualised programs rather than group sessions Provide information on an ongoing basis , with specific information about services and coaching regarding their new role Target the care recipient particularly by reduction in behaviours Factors which do not appear to have benefit in interventions are those which : Simply refer caregivers to support groups Only provide self help material s Only offer peer Background : Elderly individuals who provide care to a spouse suffering from dementia bear an increased risk of coronary heart disease ( CHD ) . Objective : To test the hypothesis that the Framingham CHD Risk Score would be higher in  dementia caregivers  relative to non-caregiving controls . Methods : We investigated 64 caregivers providing in-home care for their spouse with Alzheimer ’s disease and 41 gender-matched non-caregiving controls . All subjects ( mean age 70 ± 8 years , 75 % women , 93 % Caucasian ) had a negative history of CHD and cerebrovascular disease . The original Framingham CHD Risk Score was computed adding up categorical scores for age , blood lipids , blood pressure , diabetes , and smoking with adjustment made for sex . Results : The average CHD risk score was higher in caregivers than in controls even when co-varying for socioeconomic status , health habits , medication , and psychological distress ( 8.0 ± 2.9 vs. 6.3 ± 3.0 points , p = 0.013 ) . The difference showed a medium effect size ( Cohen ’s d = 0.57 ) . A relatively higher blood pressure in caregivers than in controls made the greatest contribution to this difference . The probability ( area under the receiver operator curve ) that a r and omly selected caregiver had a greater CHD risk score than a r and omly selected non-caregiver was 65.5 % . Conclusions : Based on the Framingham CHD Risk Score , the potential to develop overt CHD in the following 10 years was predicted to be greater in dementia caregivers than in non-caregiving controls . The magnitude of the difference in the CHD risk between caregivers and controls appears to be clinical ly relevant . Clinicians may want to monitor caregiving status as a routine part of st and ard evaluation of their elderly patients ’ cardiovascular risk Most caregiver interventions in a multicultural society are design ed to target caregivers from the mainstream culture and exclude those who are unable to speak English . This study addressed the gap by testing the hypothesis that personalized caregiver support provided by a team led by a care coordinator of the person with dementia would improve competence for caregivers from minority groups in managing dementia . A r and omised controlled trial was utilised to test the hypothesis . Sixty-one family caregivers from 10 minority groups completed the trial . Outcome variables were measured prior to the intervention , at 6 and 12 months after the commencement of trial . A linear mixed effect model was used to estimate the effectiveness of the intervention . The intervention group showed a significant increase in the caregivers ’ sense of competence and mental components of quality of life . There were no significant differences in the caregivers ’ physical components of quality of life OBJECTIVES To investigate the effect of self-management group rehabilitation for persons with dementia ( PwD ) and their spouses on their health-related quality of life ( HRQoL ) , the cognition of the PwD , and the costs of health and social services . DESIGN A r and omized controlled trial . SETTING Primary care and memory clinics in the Helsinki metropolitan area , Finl and . PARTICIPANTS PwD ( N = 136 ) and their spouses ( N = 136 ) . INTERVENTION Couples were r and omized to usual care or eight-session self-management groups for PwD and concurrently for their spouses . Sessions aim to enhance self-efficacy and problem-solving skills and to provide peer support . MEASUREMENTS The primary outcome measures were the HRQoL of PwD ( measured using a generic , comprehensive ( 15-dimensional ) , self-administered instrument ( 15D ) ) and spouses ( measured using the R AND -36 ) and the spousal Sense of Competence Question naire ( SCQ ) . Secondary outcome measures were PwD cognition ( Verbal Fluency ( VF ) , Clock Drawing Test ( CDT ) ) and costs of health and social services during 24 months . RESULTS At 3 months , the spouse physical component of the R AND -36 improved ( mean change 1.0 , 95 % confidence interval ( CI ) = -0.5 to 2.4 ) for those undergoing the intervention and worsened for controls ( mean change -2.0 , 95 % CI = -3.5 to -0.4 ) ( P = .006 adjusted for age , sex , baseline value of the physical component of the R AND -36 ) . There were no differences between the groups on the mental component of the R AND -36 , the SCQ , or the 15D . At 9 months , PwD change in VF was -0.38 ( 95 % CI = -1.03 to 0.27 ) in intervention group and -1.60 ( 95 % CI = -2.26 to -0.94 ) for controls ( P = .011 adjusted for age , sex , baseline MMSE score ) . CDT changes were similar to VF changes . Differences in incremental costs between the groups was -436 € per person per year ( 95 % CI = -4,986 to 4,115 ) for PwD ( P = .35 adjusted for age , CDR ) and -896 € per person per year ( 95 % CI = -3,657 to 1,864 ) for spouses ( P = .51 adjusted for PwD age , CDR ) . CONCLUSIONS The intervention had beneficial effects on the HRQoL of spouses and the cognitive function of PwD without increasing total costs . TRIAL REGISTRATION anzctr.org.au Identifier : ACTRN12611001173987 BACKGROUND The value of care provided by informal carers in Canada is estimated at $ 26 billion annually ( Holl and er et al. , 2009 ) . However , carers ' needs are often overlooked , limiting their capacity to provide care . Problem-solving therapy ( PST ) , a structured approach to problem solving ( PS ) and a core principle of the Reitman Centre CARERS Program , has been shown to alleviate emotional distress and improve carers ' competence ( Chiu et al. , 2013 ) . This study evaluated the effectiveness of problem-solving techniques-based intervention based on adapted PST methods , in enhancing carers ' physical and emotional capacity to care for relatives with dementia living in the community . METHODS 56 carers were equally allocated to a problem-solving techniques-based intervention group or a control arm . Carers in the intervention group received three 1 hr visits by a care coordinator ( CC ) who had been given advanced training in PS techniques-based intervention .  Coping , mastery , competence , burden , and perceived stress of the carers were evaluated at baseline and post-intervention using st and ardized assessment tools . An intention-to-treat analysis utilizing repeated measures ANOVA was performed on the data . RESULTS Post-intervention measures completion rate was 82 % and 92 % for the intervention and control groups , respectively . Carers in the intervention group showed significantly improved task-oriented coping , mastery , and competence and significantly reduced emotion-oriented coping , burden and stress ( p < 0.01 - 0.001 ) . Control carers showed no change . CONCLUSION PS techniques , when learned and delivered by CCs as a tool to coach carers in their day-to-day caregiving , improves carers ' caregiving competence , coping , burden , and perceived stress . This may reduce dependence on primary , psychiatric , and institutional care . Results provide evidence that establishing effective partnerships between inter-professional clinicians in academic clinical health science centers , and community agencies can extend the reach of the expertise of specialized health care institutions OBJECTIVES Caregiving can negatively impact well-being . Cancer caregivers face unique challenges given the intense nature of cancer and treatment , which increases their risk for burden , poor quality of life ( QOL ) , and burnout . Studies to reduce caregiver burden demonstrate QOL improvement and distress reduction in the short term . However , few studies exist to address long-term benefits . We assessed changes in various QOL domains after participation in a QOL intervention for caregivers of patients having newly diagnosed advanced cancer . METHODS Our institutional review board-approved study r and omized patient-caregiver dyads to either usual care or an in-person group intervention composed of six 90-min sessions of structured multidisciplinary QOL components delivered over 4 weeks , with 10 follow-up phone calls within 20 weeks . Caregivers attended four of the six sessions attended by patients . Sessions included physical therapy , coping and communication strategies , mental health education , spirituality , and social needs .  Caregiver QOL ( Caregiver Quality of Life Index-Cancer Scale [ CQOLC ] and Linear Analogue Self- Assessment [ LASA ] ) and mood ( Profile of Mood States-Brief [ POMS-B ] ) were measured at baseline and 4 , 27 , and 52 weeks . Wilcoxon tests and effect sizes were used to compare the caregiver groups . RESULTS Of the 131 caregivers ( 65 intervention and 66 usual care ) , 116 completed the study . Caregivers post-intervention ( at 4 weeks ) had improved scores on LASA Spiritual Well-being ; POMS-B total score , Vigor/Activity , and Fatigue/Inertia ; and CQOLC Adaptation . At long term ( at 27 weeks ) , caregivers retained improvement in POMS-B Fatigue/Inertia and gained improvements in CQOLC Disruptiveness and Financial Concerns . CONCLUSIONS Caregivers who received the intervention had higher QOL ratings for specific QOL domains but not for overall QOL . Although a comprehensive intervention was helpful , more specific , targeted interventions tailored for individual needs are recommended . Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons , Objective : The need for information about the disease and coping with the consequences , as well as on available care and welfare services , is frequently unmet in people with dementia and their carers . To provide carers of community-dwelling people with dementia with tailored information , the DEMentia-specific dynamic interactive social chart ( DEM-DISC ) was developed . The impact on the daily life of people with dementia and their carers , the user friendliness and usefulness of a first prototype of DEM-DISC was evaluated . Method : DEM-DISC was tested among informal carers in a pretest – posttest control group design . Fourteen informal carers could access DEM-DISC at home during a two month period . Fourteen controls did not have access to DEM-DISC .  Data were collected by separate interviews with people with dementia and carers at pretest and posttest , by means of digital logging , short telephone interviews , and a bottleneck checklist during the intervention period . Results : People with dementia and informal carers reported more met and less unmet needs after DEM-DISC use and carers in the experimental group reported higher levels of competence than controls . Although they were not explicitly satisfied with this first prototype of DEM-DISC , carers found DEM-DISC easy to learn and relatively user friendly . Carers acknowledged the system 's benefits . Conclusion : The positive effects might be caused by the systematic and tailored individual way of information provisioning by DEM-DISC . It would be worthwhile to continue to develop DEM-DISC and to conduct r and omized trials on the impact on patients and carers as well as the impact on nursing home admission and healthcare expenditure OBJECTIVES The objective of this review was to assess the effectiveness of interventions that assist caregivers to provide support for people living with dementia in the community . INCLUSION CRITERIA Types of participants Adult caregivers who provide support for people with dementia living in the community ( non-institutional care).Types of interventions Interventions design ed to support caregivers in their role such as skills training , education to assist in caring for a person living with dementia and support groups/programs . Interventions of formal approaches to care design ed to support caregivers in their role , care planning , case management and specially design ated members of the healthcare team - for example dementia nurse specialist or volunteers trained in caring for someone with dementia . Types of studies This review considered any meta-analyses , systematic review s , r and omised control trials , quasi-experimental studies , cohort studies , case control studies and observational studies without control groups that addressed the effectiveness of interventions that assist caregivers to provide support for people living with dementia in the community . SEARCH STRATEGY The search sought to identify published studies from 2000 to 2005 through the use of electronic data bases . Only studies in English were considered for inclusion . The initial search was conducted of the data bases , CINAHL , MEDLINE and PsychINFO using search strategies adapted from the Cochrane Dementia and Cognitive Improvement Group . A second more extensive search was then conducted using the appropriate Medical Subject Headings ( MeSH ) and keywords for other available data bases . Finally , h and search ing of reference lists of articles retrieved and of core dementia , geriatric and psycho geriatric journals was undertaken . ASSESSMENT OF QUALITY Method ological quality of each of the articles was assessed by two independent review ers using appraisal checklist developed by the Joanna Briggs Institute and based on the work of the Cochrane Collaboration and Centre for Review s and Dissemination . DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS St and ardised mean differences or weighted mean differences and their 95 % confidence intervals were calculated for each included study reported in the meta- analysis . Results from comparable groups of studies were pooled in statistical meta- analysis using Review Manager Software from the Cochrane Collaboration . Heterogeneity between combined studies was tested using st and ard chi-square test . Where statistical pooling was not appropriate or possible , the findings are summarised in narrative form . RESULTS A comprehensive search of relevant data bases , h and search ing and cross referencing found 685 articles that were assessed for relevance to the review . Eighty-five papers appeared to meet the inclusion criteria based on title and abstract , and the full paper was retrieved . Of the 85 full papers review ed , 40 were accepted for inclusion , three were systematic review s , three were meta- analysis , and the remaining 34 were r and omised controlled trials . For the r and omised controlled trials that were able to be included in a meta- analysis , st and ardised mean differences or weighted mean differences and their 95 % confidence intervals were calculated for each . Results from comparable groups of studies were pooled in statistical meta- analysis using Review Manager Software and heterogeneity between combined studies was assessed by using the chi-square test . Where statistical pooling was not appropriate or possible , the findings are summarised in narrative form . The results are discussed in two main sections . Firstly it was possible to assess the effectiveness of different types of caregiver interventions on the outcome categories of depression , health , subjective well-being , self-efficacy and burden . Secondly , results are reported by main outcome category . For each of these sections , meta- analysis was conducted where it was possible ; otherwise , a narrative summary describes the findings . EFFECTIVENESS OF INTERVENTION TYPE Four categories of intervention were included in the review - psycho-educational , support , multi-component and other . Psycho-educational Thirteen studies used  psycho-educational interventions  , and all but one showed positive results across a range of outcomes . Eight studies were entered in a meta- analysis . No significant impact of psycho-educational interventions was found for the outcome categories of subjective well-being , self-efficacy or health . However , small but significant results were found for the categories of depression and burden . Support Seven studies discussed support only interventions and two of these showed significant results . These two studies were suitable for meta- analysis and demonstrated a small but significant improvement on caregiver burden . Multi-component Twelve of the studies report multi-component interventions and 10 of these report significant outcomes across a broad range of outcome measures including self-efficacy , depression , subjective well-being and burden . Unfortunately because of the heterogeneity of study design s and outcome measures , no meta- analysis was possible . Other interventions Other interventions included the use of exercise or nutrition which result ed in improvements in psychological distress and health benefits . Case management and a computer aided support intervention provided mixed results . One cognitive behavioural therapy study reported a reduction in anxiety and positive impacts on patient behaviour . EFFECTIVENESS OF INTERVENTIONS USING SPECIFIC OUTCOME CATEGORIES In addition to analysis by type of intervention it was possible to analyse results based on some outcome categories that were used across the studies . In particular the impact of interventions on caregiver depression was available for meta- analysis from eight studies . This indicated that multi-component and psycho-educational interventions showed a small but significant positive effect on caregiver depression . Five studies using the outcome category of caregiver burden  were entered into a meta- analysis and findings indicated that there were no significant effects of any of interventions . No meta- analysis was possible for the outcome categories of health , self-efficacy or subjective well-being . IMPLICATION S FOR PRACTICE From this review there is evidence to support the use of well- design ed psycho-educational or multi-component interventions for caregivers of people with dementia who live in the community . Factors that appear to positively contribute to effective interventions are those which : Factors which do not appear to have benefit in interventions are those which OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of an individualized , home-based caregiver-training program for caregivers of elderly patients with dementia and behavioral problems . METHODS Using a r and omized clinical trial in the neurologic clinics of two hospitals and a community care management center in northern Taiwan , we tested an individualized home-based caregiver-training program for managing behavioral problems , with referrals to community services and telephone consultation . Participants were patients with dementia and their caregivers ( N = 129 ) : 63 in the intervention group and 66 in the control group . The control group received only written instructions and social telephone follow-ups . Behavioral problems of elderly dementia patients were assessed by the Chinese version of the Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory , community form . Family caregivers ' outcomes were measured by the Agitation Management Self-efficacy Scale and the Preparedness and Competence Scales . These instruments were administered before the program and 2 weeks , 3 months , and 6 months afterward . RESULTS Family caregivers who received the individualized home-based training program had better preparedness ( t = 2.72 , df = 127 , p < 0.01 ) , competence ( t = 4.77 , df = 126 , p < 0.001 ) , and overall self-efficacy ( t = 3.81 , df = 127 , p < 0.001 ) at 3 months than those in the control group . Moreover , the growth rate by treatment interaction effect was significant for caregiver competence ( t = 2.25 , df = 127 , p < 0.05 ) and overall self-efficacy for managing behavioral problems ( t = 2.16 , df = 127 , p < 0.05 ) . The probability of physically aggressive behavior for patients in the intervention group decreased from 0.27 to 0.12 . CONCLUSION Our individualized home-based caregiver-training program improved caregivers ' preparedness , competence , and self-efficacy for managing problematic behaviors and decreased physical aggressiveness of elderly patients with dementia BACKGROUND Dementelcoach is a new telephone intervention to support informal caregivers of community dwelling people with dementia . The effectiveness of this intervention was evaluated on burden and mental health problems of informal caregivers . METHODS A pre-test/post-test comparison group design was used with three groups of informal caregivers . Two of the groups were experimental and received either ( 1 ) telephone coaching or ( 2 ) telephone coaching in combination with respite care ( psychogeriatric day care ) ; the third was a comparison group which received day care only . Telephone coaching was offered by trained coaches once every two to three weeks over a period of 20 weeks . RESULTS Informal caregivers who received telephone coaching in combination with respite care reported significantly less burden compared to caregivers who received telecoaching only , and they experienced significantly fewer mental health problems than those who received day care only . CONCLUSION Telecoaching according to the principles of Dementelcoach combined with respite care(psychogeriatric day care ) is more effective in reducing burden and health complaints in informal caregivers of community-dwelling people with dementia than telecoaching or day care only This controlled study examines the efficacy of a comprehensive group program aim ed at care partners of patients with mild cognitive impairment ( MCI ) , which comprises elements of psychoeducation , cognitive rehabilitation , and cognitive behavioral therapy . Pre- and posttreatment quantitative and qualitative data were collected in the significant others of 84 patients with MCI , 27 of whom had first been assigned to a waiting list , thus serving as their own control group . Also , the significant others rated their sense of competence , well-being , distress , acceptance , helplessness , and awareness . Quantitative data analysis did not reveal statistically significant differences between the control and the intervention condition , but qualitative results suggest that at program completion the significant others reported gains in knowledge , insight , acceptance , and coping skills . In the present sample of significant others , the group intervention was not proven effective . Suggestions for program adjustments and alternative outcome measures are discussed
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES This review aims to summarise and evaluate multicomponent interventions focused on improving the competence of family members of people with dementia ( PwD ) who undertake the caregiving tasks .
BACKGROUND Caregiver competence is essential for family members of PwD acting as caregivers .
Competence affects the physical and mental health of both PwD and caregivers .
Many kinds of multicomponent interventions are used to improve caregiver competence .