Alzheimer's disease caregiving information and skills. Part I: care recipient issues and concerns.
Increasing attention has been given to testing clinical trials with family caregivers of the elderly. More recent intervention studies indicated that caregiver skill-building interventions may be more effective than information/support interventions. Researchers have given considerable attention to the content and support needed by family caregivers, but we know less about how this content and support translates into caregiver skills. This is the first in a series of three articles on a study in which qualitative methods were used to analyze summaries from the group component of a larger caregiver clinical trial. In this article we identify content and skills that dementia family caregivers need in addressing three major care recipient issues and concerns: (a) difficult behaviors and emotional responses, (b) personal and instrumental activities of daily living, and (c) cognitive decline.
Farran
Carol J
CJ
Rush University College of Nursing, 600 South Paulina Street, AAC 1080, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.
Loukissa
Dimitra
D
Perraud
Suzanne
S
Paun
Olimpia
O
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000451:nursing*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology; D002983:Clinical Competence / Q000592:standards*; D003071:Cognition; D018450:Disease Progression; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006266:Health Education / Q000379:methods; D006701:Home Nursing / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012944:Social Support; D013689:Telephone