title: A chronic grief intervention for dementia family caregivers in long-term care.
abstract: Dementia caregivers do not relinquish their role after placing family members in long-term care and they experience increased chronic grief. The Chronic Grief Management Intervention (CGMI) is a12-week group-based program that uses guided discussion to deliver knowledge of Alzheimer's or a related dementia and teach skills in communication, conflict resolution, and chronic grief management in dementia caregivers who placed their family members in long-term care. Using a quasi-experimental design, 83 caregivers from 15 long-term care facilities received either the CGMI (n = 34) or a comparison condition consisting of two check-in calls (n = 49). In this pilot study, we examined the feasibility of implementing the CGMI and evaluated the effects of the intervention on caregivers' knowledge and skill and their chronic grief and depression. The intervention was feasible and resulted in significant improvement in caregivers' heartfelt sadness and longing at 3 months and a significant drop in their guilt at the 6-month follow-up.
authors: Rush University College of Nursing, Chicago, IL, USA olimpia_paun@rush.edu.
authors: Olimpia
authors: O
authors: Paun
authors: Rush University College of Nursing, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors: Carol J
authors: CJ
authors: Farran
authors: Rush University College of Nursing, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors: Louis
authors: L
authors: Fogg
authors: North Park University School of Nursing, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors: Dimitra
authors: D
authors: Loukissa
authors: Rush Day Hospital, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors: Peggy E
authors: PE
authors: Thomas
authors: Rush University College of Nursing, Chicago, IL, USA.
authors: Ruby
authors: R
authors: Hoyem
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D003142:Communication; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003704:Dementia / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006117:Grief; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care / Q000523:psychology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010865:Pilot Projects
keywords: caregiver grief; dementia; long-term care