EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTION FOR A HUNTINGTONS-DISEASE CAREGIVER

A lack of knowledge has been linked to increased stress for caregivers . Educational programs are an inexpensive intervention with potential to improve caregivers' provision of care and to reduce the associated stress. The present description is of a Huntington's disease caregiver 's participation in a training program for at-home care of a physicall y dependent, demented person. Care knowledge was deficient prior to pa rticipation and increased with participation. Collaterally, confidence in providing assistance increased and stressfulness of care fell. Whi le increased knowledge remained at follow-up, confidence and stressful ness returned to pre-intervention levels. Measures of affect mirrored the pattern of change in confidence and stressfulness. This suggests t hat education increased knowledge but this gain was not associated wit h longer term improvement in the caregiver's affect, stressfulness of continuing to provide care, and confidence in providing care. Implicat ions for such programs are discussed.