Helping the family carers of Alzheimer's patients: from theory ... to practice. A preliminary study

Alzheimer's disease (AD) represents one of the most important health issues in the western world. The ongoing care that the AD patient requires typica lly causes high stress levels, fatigue, irritation and depression in the ca regiver, as well as socio-economical problems. The current study aimed to i ntroduce a support program for carers of AD patients, in order to improve t heir quality of life. A Questionnaire for Carers and an Anxiety State Featu re Questionnaire (STAI) was used to assess the carers. Results showed an ov erall improvement in the carers' health. Their subjective wellbeing increas ed, and though their situation had not changed, they nevertheless described feeling less trapped. It can be concluded that possibly the mere fact that the carers feel that they have help available is enough to endorse the val ue of the program. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserv ed.