Home-based caregiver training: Benefits differ by care receivers' dementia diagnosis.
Patients with dementia differ in their behavioral and psychological symptoms according to their diagnosis with Alzheimer's disease (AD) or vascular dementia (VaD), requiring different symptom-management strategies. This study analyzed data from a sub-sample of a randomized clinical trial to determine the effects of a home-based training program on family caregivers of patients with dementia in northern Taiwan. Our sub-sample comprised patient-caregiver dyads (46 VaD and 68 AD patients) followed for 18 months. Caregivers of AD patients in the intervention group had better competence, preparedness, health-related quality of life, and fewer depressive symptoms than those in the control group. Caregivers of VaD patients in the intervention group had better competence and health-related quality of life than those in the control group. The training program benefited family caregivers of AD patients more than caregivers of VaD patients. Specific training programs need to be developed for family caregivers of VaD patients.
School of Gerontology Health Management, College of Nursing, Taipei Medical University, 250 Wu Hsing St., Taipei 11031, Taiwan.
Li-Min
LM
Kuo
Department of Gerontological Care and Management, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology, 261 Wenhwa 1st Road, Guishan District, Taoyuan City 33303, Taiwan.
Huei-Ling
HL
Huang
Dementia Center, Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan; School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, 259 Wenhua 1st Road, Guishan District, Taoyuan City 33302, Taiwan.
Wen-Chuin
WC
Hsu
School of Nursing, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, 259 Wenhua 1st Road, Guishan District, Taoyuan City 33302, Taiwan.
Yi-Ting
YT
Wang
Dementia Center, Department of Neurology, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Taoyuan, Taiwan; School of Nursing, College of Medicine, Chang Gung University, 259 Wenhua 1st Road, Guishan District, Taoyuan City 33302, Taiwan; Healthy Aging Research Center, Chang Gung University, Taoyuan, Taiwan; Traumatological Division, Department of Orthopedics, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, 5 Fu-Hsin Street, Guishan District, Taoyuan 33305, Taiwan. Electronic address: yeaing@mail.cgu.edu.tw.
Yea-Ing L
YL
Shyu
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000451:nursing*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000193:education* / Q000523:psychology*; D015140:Dementia, Vascular / Q000451:nursing*; D003863:Depression / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D013624:Taiwan
Alzheimer's disease; Depression; Family caregiver; Family caregiver-training program; Health-related quality of life; Vascular dementia