title: At the crossroads: development and evaluation of a dementia caregiver group intervention to assist in driving cessation.
abstract: Deciding when an individual with dementia must reduce or stop driving can be a stressful issue for family caregivers. The purpose of this study was to develop a group intervention to assist these caregivers with driving issues and to provide a preliminary evaluation of the comparative effectiveness of this At the Crossroads intervention. Participants were randomized to one of three arms: (1) active intervention (four 2-hour manualized educational/support group meetings; n = 31); (2) written materials only (participants received written materials after a pretest; n = 23); and (3)control (participants received written materials after a posttest; n = 12).Participants were administered a battery of self-report and interview-based questionnaires at baseline and again 2 months later. At follow-up, the active intervention group scored significantly better than both other groups on key outcome variables, including self-efficacy, communication, and preparedness. The At the Crossroads caregiver intervention appears to effectively provide education and support needed for caregivers to address driving-related issues with their loved ones.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Alzheimer's Disease Clinical and Research Program, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA 02118-2526, USA. bobstern@bu.edu
authors.forename: Robert A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Stern
authors.forename: Lisa A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: D'Ambrosio
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mohyde
authors.forename: Anastasia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Carruth
authors.forename: Beth
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tracton-Bishop
authors.forename: Jennifer C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Hunter
authors.forename: Daniel H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Daneshvar
authors.forename: Joseph F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Coughlin
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease; D001334:Automobile Driving; D017028:Caregivers; D003479:Curriculum; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012657:Self-Help Groups; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000517:prevention & control; D014481:United States