THE PRINCE HENRY HOSPITAL DEMENTIA CAREGIVERS’ TRAINING PROGRAMME

✍ Scribed by HENRY BRODATY; MEREDITH GRESHAM; GEORGINA LUSCOMBE

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 164 KB
• Volume: 12
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0885-6230
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1099-1166(199702)12:2<183::aid-gps584>3.0.co;2-j

✦ Synopsis

Objective. To describe the theory, elements and practice of a successful caregiver training programme; and report the 8-year outcome.

Design. Prospective, randomized control trial and longitudinal follow-up over approximately 8 years.

Setting. Psychiatry unit, general teaching hospital, Sydney, Australia.

Participants. 96 persons less than 80 years old with mild to moderate dementia and their cohabiting caregivers.

Interventions. All patients received a 10-day structured memory retraining and activity programme. Caregivers in the immediate and wait-list caregiver training groups received a structured, residential, intensive 10-day training programme, boosted by follow-ups and telephone conferences over 12 months. Those in the wait-list group entered the programme after waiting 6 months. The third group of caregivers received 10 days' respite (while patients underwent their memory retraining programme) and 12 months booster sessions as for the other groups.

Main outcome measures. Nursing home admission; time until patient death.

Main results. 64% of patients whose caregivers were in the immediate training group, 53% of wait-list group patients and 70% of memory retraining patients had died. Nursing home admission had occurred in 79% of the immediate training, 83% of the delayed and 90% of the memory retraining group. Eight-year survival analysis indicated that patients whose caregivers received training stayed at home signi®cantly longer ( p 0X037) and tended to live longer ( p 0X08).

Conclusions. Caregiver training programmes demonstrably can delay institutionalization of people with dementia.