title: Effects of the Staff Training for Assisted Living Residences protocol for caregivers of older adults with dementia: A pilot study in the Brazilian population.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effects of the Staff Training for Assisted Living Residences administered to formal caregivers of older adults with behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia in the institutional environment.
  
  
  METHODS
  The project was developed in two long-term care institutions in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, with 25 formal caregivers and 46 older adults with dementia. The training was carried out over 6 weeks. Evaluations were carried out with the caregivers and the elderly residents, using specific instruments to evaluate different domains (demographic data, etiological diagnoses of dementia, severity of dementia, global cognition, functional performance, quality of life, behavior, burden of caregiver, depression and anxiety). The total time for data collection was 6 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A significant improvement in behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, as assessed by the Neuropsychiatric Inventory, was observed (P < 0.008), with no changes in the other indexes. No significant changes were observed in parameters related to caregivers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Staff Training for Assisted Living Residences protocol was effective in reducing neuropsychiatric symptoms in dementia patients, and might be a feasible and positive strategy to train formal caregivers in long-term care institutions in Brazil. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 449-455.
authors: Department of Internal Medicine, Post-Graduate Program in Adult Health Applied Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG.
authors: Larissa
authors: L
authors: da Silva Serelli
authors: Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS.
authors: Ramon Castro
authors: RC
authors: Reis
authors: Institute of Psychiatry, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ.|Center for Studies and Research on Aging, Institute Vital Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, RJ.
authors: Jerson
authors: J
authors: Laks
authors: Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, RS.
authors: Analuiza Camozzato
authors: AC
authors: de Pádua
authors: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, SP.
authors: Cássio Mc
authors: CM
authors: Bottino
authors: Department of Internal Medicine, Post-Graduate Program in Adult Health Applied Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG.
authors: Paulo
authors: P
authors: Caramelli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D040561:Assisted Living Facilities; D001938:Brazil; D017028:Caregivers / Q000193:education*; D003704:Dementia / Q000451:nursing*; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care; D008297:Male; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015397:Program Evaluation; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
keywords: aging; behavioral and psychological symptoms; caregivers; dementia; long-term care