Multicomponent intervention on enhancing dementia caregiver well-being and reducing behavioral problems among Hong Kong Chinese: a translational study based on REACH II.

OBJECTIVE

This study examined the effectiveness of a translated version of Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer's Caregiver Health (REACH) II in Hong Kong's service delivery context.

METHOD

The localized intervention was adapted from REACH II with 12 individual-based sessions, which addressed multiple domains including disease education, safety, caregiver (CG) well-being, and care recipients' problem behavior. Two-hundred and one dementia family dyads completed the intervention.

RESULTS

The efficacy of the intervention was demonstrated by the significant improvement in the perception of positive aspects of caregiving, reduction in depressive symptoms, subjective burden, bother and caregiving risks among CGs, and abatement in behavioral problems among care recipients. Treatment implementation was reflected from the high rate of adoption of each intervention component by interventionists and satisfactory reception from CGs. Promises in reach and adoption were demonstrated by the participation of 85 interventionists from 11 NGOs across 18 districts and CGs of a variety of demographic characteristics.

DISCUSSION

This study is the first attempt to translate a highly successful evidence-based dementia CG intervention developed in the USA into the Hong Kong service delivery context. The current results echoed the success of REACH II. The values and challenges of translational research are discussed.