Befriending carers of people with dementia: randomised controlled trial.
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the effectiveness of a voluntary sector based befriending scheme in improving psychological wellbeing and quality of life for family carers of people with dementia.


METHODS
Single blind randomised controlled trial.


METHODS
Community settings in East Anglia and London.


METHODS
236 family carers of people with primary progressive dementia.


METHODS
Contact with a befriender facilitator and offer of match with a trained lay volunteer befriender compared with no befriender facilitator contact; all participants continued to receive "usual care."


METHODS
Carers' mood (hospital anxiety and depression scale-depression) and health related quality of life (EuroQoL) at 15 months post-randomisation.


RESULTS
The intention to treat analysis showed no benefit for the intervention "access to a befriender facilitator" on the primary outcome measure or on any of the secondary outcome measures.


CONCLUSIONS
In common with many carers' services, befriending schemes are not taken up by all carers, and providing access to a befriending scheme is not effective in improving wellbeing. Trial registration Current CONTROLLED TRIALS: ISRCTN08130075.
Charlesworth
Georgina
G
Centre for Behavioural and Social Sciences in Medicine, University College London, London W1W 7EJ. g.charlesworth@ucl.ac.uk
Shepstone
Lee
L
Wilson
Edward
E
Reynolds
Shirley
S
Mugford
Miranda
M
Price
David
D
Harvey
Ian
I
Poland
Fiona
F
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D003704:Dementia / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D033062:Friends; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012944:Social Support