Cognitive-behavioral intervention for homebound caregivers of persons withdementia

Background: Family caregivers experience considerable stress in their manag ement of specific behaviors of persons with dementia. Objective: To examine the effects of an 8-week cognitive-behavioral (C-B) i ntervention tailored to the specific deficits of persons with dementia (PWD s) on selected outcomes for homebound caregivers and the functional status of the PWD. Method: The design was a two-group randomized trial with measures taken at baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and 12 weeks. Subjects were 65 caregiver-care r ecipient dyads. A majority of the 65 female caregivers were spouses with a mean age of 66.5 years. Thirty-one women who received the C-B intervention were compared to 34 who received the attention-only (A-O) placebo telephone calls. Coping strategies, perceptions of caregiver burden and satisfaction , and emotional acid physical health were assessed at the four points in ti me. Results: Results indicated a time by group interaction in depression, with less depression in the C-B than the A-O group. Both groups experienced a si gnificant reduction in anxiety, and a significant consistent decrease in sa tisfaction over time. Both groups also demonstrated decreased use of emotio n-focused coping strategies. Conclusion: The results suggest a plausible effectiveness of the C-B interv ention in preventing the progression of depression. Suggestions for future research are provided.