title: Stress in Persons with Dementia: Benefits of a Memory Center Day Program.
abstract: Most persons with dementia are cared for by family members who are so overwhelmed that their mental and physical health declines. Adult day care programs (ADC) are growing in number to meet caregivers' needs for respite but little is known about their effect on enrollee mental health. We examined mental health of enrollees (stress, anxiety, mood, emotions) and arousal (blood pressure and salivary cortisol) from day program enrollment to 3 months following enrollment. Results showed significant decreases in morning cortisol level at 1 and 3 months (p=.047). Perceived stress decreased at 1 and 3 months measured by Perceived Stress Scale (p=.03) and Index of Clinical Stress (p=.01). Results provide support for ADC as a stress-reducing environment for individuals with mild to moderate cognitive impairment. Future studies should be conducted to examine which elements of ADC are beneficial.
authors.affiliation: Florida Atlantic University, Christine E Lynn College of Nursing. Electronic address: cwill154@fau.edu.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Florida Atlantic University, Christine E Lynn College of Nursing.
authors.forename: Ruth
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Tappen
authors.affiliation: Florida Atlantic University, Christine E Lynn College of Nursing.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wiese
authors.affiliation: Florida Atlantic University, Christine E Lynn College of Nursing.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Newman
authors.affiliation: Florida Atlantic University, Department of Psychology.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Corbett
authors.affiliation: Florida Atlantic University, Christine E Lynn College of Nursing.
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pinos
authors.affiliation: Florida Atlantic University, Christine E Lynn College of Nursing, Louis and Ann Greene Memory and Wellness Center.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Curtis
authors.affiliation: Florida Atlantic University, Christine E Lynn College of Nursing, Louis and Ann Greene Memory and Wellness Center.
authors.forename: Belinda
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Murray
mesh_terms: D000069537:Adult Day Care Centers; D001007:Anxiety / Q000517:prevention & control; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D003704:Dementia / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D010361:Patients / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000517:prevention & control*