Feasibility and effects of a psycho-educative group intervention for informal caregivers of people with dementia living at home: a pilot study
Informal caregiving in the context of dementia
All participants will participate in the program (non-randomised study). The program was originally developed by Louise Levesque, Francine Ducharme and their team in the 2000s based on the Lazarus and Folkman transactional theory of stress and coping. The program called “learning to feel better and help better” aims at improving the ability of informal dementia caregivers to cope with the stressful demands of caring for a person with dementia living at home. The content of the program focuses on 1) the appraisal of stressful situations, and 2) the coping strategies. Regarding appraisal, participants learn to break down a global situation into specific ones, identify more precisely what is stressful, and distinguish between situations or aspects of it which can be modified and those which cannot. Regarding coping strategies, participants are trained to choose an appropriate strategy depending on whether the situation can be modified or not, use problem solving for modifiable situations (seven-step procedure), use reframing for unmodifiable situations (look at things from another angle to reduce painful emotions), and seek for social support (identify precise support needs and best persons to address each of them). In addition, information is provided on how dementia may affect the communication and relational behaviour of the affected person, and how informal dementia caregivers may improve their communication skills and prevent tensions. The program uses a combination of 1) information provision, 2) group discussions, 3) work on personal stressful situations, and 4) exercises at home. In the first phase of the trial (feasibility study) the researchers applied the original program consisting of 15 weekly sessions of 2 hours each. In the second and third phase of the trial it was reduced to 6 weekly sessions of 3 hours each and a seventh follow up session (also 3 hours) 1 month after session 6, in order to facilitate participation. The intervention is designed for a g
Caregiver: 1. ≥18 years of age 2. Regularly providing unpaid care, assistance and/or supervision to a close person with dementia or showing substantial cognitive deficits 3. Lives in same household with the person with dementia or in a separated household 4. Sufficient French or German language skills Person cared for: 5. Has a diagnosis of dementia or shows substantial cognitive deficits 6. Lives in her/his own home (community-dwelling) 7. Lives alone or with other persons
Caregiver: 1. Volunteers who provide regular assistance to a person with dementia but had no prior bond to that person 2. Professional paid caregivers 3. Low caregiver burden (score below 10 on the Zarit Burden Interview) Person cared for: 3. Living in a care institution 4. No memory and behavioral problems