Dementia Care Intervention Eases Burden for Families

Intervention sessions, individually tailored to help people caring for family members with dementia, show promise in reducing rates of clinical depression, according to a multi-site study co-authored by a University of Alabama researcher.

Study results, publishing in the Nov. 21 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine, indicate the intervention strategies can also significantly ease the burden and improve the quality of life for the caregiver.

"Caring for a loved one with dementia presents a number of challenges that can seriously compromise the caregiver's quality of life," said Dr. Louis Burgio, Distinguished Research Professor at the Center for Mental Health and Aging at The University of Alabama and principal investigator at one of the five study sites. "For the millions of Americans who care for a loved one at home, an intervention that can improve their quality of life and lessen the burden of caregiving can make meaningful differences in their ability to better care both for themselves and their loved ones," he said.

The findings are significant, according to the researchers, because not only is caring for a loved one with dementia stressful, but the experience can contribute to the development of psychiatric and physical illnesses and increased risk for death among the caregivers.

The researchers found that, overall, the intervention was effective across racial and ethnic groups, with the most significant improvements among Hispanic and white caregivers. In African-Americans, the intervention was effective among spouse-caregivers, but relatively ineffective among caregivers who were caring for a relative other than their husband or wife.

The study was the first randomized, controlled trial to look at the effectiveness of a multi-component caregiver intervention on quality of life across an ethnically diverse population. About 4.5 million Americans with Alzheimer's disease live at home with 75 percent being cared for by family members, making caregiver health a matter of significant interest and importance.

The study enrolled 642 people who were caring for a relative with Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder at sites in Birmingham and Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Memphis, Tenn.; Miami; Palo Alto, Calif.; and Philadelphia. Hispanics, whites and African-Americans were evenly represented. The more than 200 participants in each ethnic group were randomized to receive either the intervention or an approach used for controlled comparison.

The study intervention used strategies such as role playing, problem solving, skills training, stress management and telephone support groups to address five areas in which caregivers commonly experience problems and that are central to caregiver quality of life: depression; caregiver burden and stress; attention to personal health needs; social support; and problem behaviors exhibited by the care recipient, such as aggressive outbursts or feelings of hopelessness.