Department of Neurology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA.
Riverside Center for Excellence in Aging and Lifelong Health, Williamsburg, VA, USA.
Aging Ment Health. 2020 Oct;24(10):1700-1708. doi: 10.1080/13607863.2019.1647141. Epub 2019 Jul 31.
Caregiving for a person with dementia (PWD) carries increased risk of poorer health and quality of life. Non-pharmacological interventions improve outcomes for caregivers of PWDs. We evaluated the efficacy of a modified New York University Caregiver Intervention (NYUCI), named FAMILIES, delivered to spousal and non-spousal caregivers of PWDs from diverse etiologies in a reduced number of sessions. Participants were 122 primary caregivers for community dwelling PWDs in Virginia. The intervention included two individual and four family/group counseling sessions that integrated dementia education, coping skills and behavioral management training, emotional support, and identification of family and community resources. Assessment of depression, caregiver well-being and burden, and caregiver reactions to the behavioral symptoms of dementia (BSD) were completed at baseline, the sixth session, and 6-month follow-up. Symptoms of depression ( < .001) and caregiver burden ( = .001) and caregivers' capacity to effectively manage their reactions to BSD ( = .003), significantly improved at the sixth session. Benefits were maintained at 6-month follow-up. Being married and female predicted improvement in caregiver burden; being male and living in a rural area predicted reduced risk of depression. Caregivers reported that the intervention was helpful and had a positive impact on the PWD. Modifications to the NYUCI did not diminish its efficacy. Caregivers in FAMILIES experienced improvements in depressive symptoms, caregiver burden, and their ability to effectively manage their reactions to BSD. Systemic support for implementing FAMILIES could have a broad impact on caregivers, PWDs, and the healthcare system.
照顾痴呆症患者（PWD）的人健康状况和生活质量较差的风险增加。非药物干预措施改善了痴呆症患者照顾者的结局。我们评估了一种名为 FAMILIES 的纽约大学照顾者干预（NYUCI）的改良版的疗效，该干预针对来自不同病因的 PWD 的配偶和非配偶照顾者，疗程减少。参与者是弗吉尼亚州的 122 名居住在社区的 PWD 的主要照顾者。该干预包括两次个体和四次家庭/小组咨询会议，整合了痴呆症教育、应对技能和行为管理培训、情感支持以及家庭和社区资源的确定。在基线、第六次会议和 6 个月随访时，评估了抑郁、照顾者的健康和负担以及照顾者对痴呆症行为症状（BSD）的反应。第六次会议时，抑郁症状（<0.001）和照顾者负担（=0.001）以及照顾者有效管理其对 BSD 的反应的能力（=0.003）显著改善。6 个月随访时仍保持受益。已婚和女性预测照顾者负担减轻；男性和居住在农村地区预测抑郁风险降低。照顾者报告说，干预措施有帮助，并对 PWD 产生了积极影响。对 NYUCI 的修改并未降低其疗效。FAMILIES 的照顾者在抑郁症状、照顾者负担和有效管理其对 BSD 的反应的能力方面都有所改善。为实施 FAMILIES 提供系统支持可能会对照顾者、PWD 和医疗保健系统产生广泛影响。
