Providing education about Alzheimer's disease.
Improving carers' knowledge of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been associated with benefits for carer well-being. This has led to recognition of the need to systematically evaluate dementia education tools. In this study dementia knowledge was measured before and after interventions designed to improve knowledge in a sample of 100 undergraduate students. Dementia education materials were selected from existing resources that are readily accessible and are recommended for use in clinical settings. Subjects were allocated to one of four conditions, including a control group. Subjects allocated to education conditions were asked to view a video on AD, read written information about the disease or do both. Results showed that education improved knowledge of AD, as measured by increased scores on a dementia knowledge questionnaire. This study has important implications for public education about dementia and resource allocation for service providers.
Sullivan
K
K
School of Psychology and Counselling, Queensland University of Technology, Carseldine, Australia. ka.sullivan@qut.edu.au
O'Conor
F
F
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology; D003479:Curriculum; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged