title: Testing therapeutic life review offered by home care workers to decrease depression among home-dwelling older women.
abstract: The purpose of the study was to test a psychosocial intervention, therapeutic life review, offered by home care workers to decrease depression among home-dwelling older women. A quasi-experimental, one-group time-series design measured the effect of a once-a-week, 40-minute therapeutic life review intervention, delivered for six weeks by home care workers, on the depression scores of women 65 years and older, compared to their scores during the ten weeks prior to the intervention. Over time, depression scores improved with a significant decrease in depression immediately following the six-week intervention. Based on these findings, we concluded that home care workers can deliver a community-based psychosocial intervention that decreases depression in their home-dwelling clients.
authors.affiliation: College of Nursing, Texas Woman's University, Houston Center, Houston, Texas 77030, USA. bmastelsmith@twu.edu
authors.forename: Beth
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Mastel-Smith
authors.forename: Brenda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Binder
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Malecha
authors.forename: Gayle
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hersch
authors.forename: Lene
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Symes
authors.forename: Judith
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: McFarlane
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003142:Communication; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D018576:Home Health Aides / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D007318:Inservice Training; D008016:Life Change Events; D008568:Memory; D024802:Nurse's Role / Q000523:psychology; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013781:Texas; D014930:Women / Q000523:psychology*