Coping with dementia: evaluation of four nonpharmacologic interventions.
To evaluate nonpharmacologic interventions, caregivers (65 women, 38 men) and their dementia-diagnosed spouses (patients) were randomized to one of four treatment programs (cognitive stimulation, dyadic counseling, dual supportive seminar, and early-stage day care) or to a wait-list control group. Assessments occurred initially and at postintervention (3 months). Patients were evaluated on memory, verbal fluency, and problem-solving ability, and caregivers were assessed on marital interaction, emotional status, and physical health, along with stress, coping, and social support. Caregivers also completed a program evaluation. Repeated measures procedures showed that patients in the cognitive stimulation group demonstrated more improvement over time in cognitive outcomes, and caregivers decreased in depressive symptoms. Early-stage day-care and dual supportive seminar group caregivers reported a decrease in hostility and a decrease in use of negative coping strategies, respectively. Although qualitatively derived benefits differed across groups, similarities in program content reduced the potential for quantitative differentiation among the groups.
School of Nursing, University of San Diego, California 92110, USA. mquay@acusd.edu
M P
MP
Quayhagen
M
M
Quayhagen
R R
RR
Corbeil
R C
RC
Hendrix
J E
JE
Jackson
L
L
Snyder
D
D
Bower
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D003704:Dementia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011340:Problem Solving; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011897:Random Allocation; D016896:Treatment Outcome