title: Effectiveness of family care intervention program on activity of daily living among disabled patients.
abstract: The objective of this prospective study was to compare the improvement of activity of daily living (ADL) scores between two groups of disabled patients who participated in a family care intervention program. 137 patients were selected from health stations and Activity of Daily Living (ADL) scores were assessed eight times over a period of 22 weeks. Family caregivers were trained to provide home nursing care for the disabled. The patients were divided into two groups: early-stage (intervention started less than 6 months from diagnosis) and late-stage (intervention started 7-24 months from diagnosis). Over the duration of the intervention program, the results, using ANCOVA test, showed that the ADL score of the early-stage had group increased by 12.9, compared to the later-stage group, which increased by 3.0 (p < .000). At one-year follow-up, the ADL score of the early-stage group increased by a greater extent (6.2) than the later-stage group (1.3). The factors that affected ADL scores of the survivals were as follows: age, baseline ADL score and duration of disability. The authors conclude that the intervention program was most effective in improving ADL score when intervention was implemented early.
authors.affiliation: School of Nursing, Hungkuang Institute of Technology, Taichung, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: L C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Hung
authors.forename: H W
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Kuo
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006701:Home Nursing; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013997:Time Factors