Objectives: While family caregivers (CGs) of persons with dementia are cost-effective for the health system, this form of caregiving leads to disproportionate vulnerability to physical, mental, and social adverse health consequences among CGs. The study goal was to determine the effect of the Reitman Centre CARERS program on key outcomes in family CGs of people with dementia. The Reitman Centre CARERS program is an innovative, group psychotherapeutic skills training intervention based on integrated problem-solving techniques (PST), simulation learning, and group psychotherapy designed to address each CGs' unique situation.
Design: A quasi-experimental, non-randomized, pre-post evaluation, multiple groups, multisite trial.
Setting: Multisite group intervention provided in community agencies and hospital-based locations.
Participants: Spousal or adult child family CGs (n = 264) living in the community and providing care to community-dwelling family members with dementia.
Measurement: CGs were assessed for depression (CES-D); stress (PSS); burden (12-item SZBI); role overload, mastery, caregiving competence, and role captivity (Perlin scales), coping (CISS - Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations), CG reactions to CR's memory and behavioral symptoms (RMBPC). Care recipients (CRs) were assessed on basic and complex activities of daily living (Katz and Lawton). Paired t-tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank test were used for statistical analysis of both the whole group and a more compromised subgroup of CGs.
Results: For the group as a whole, CGs showed significant positive change on post-intervention outcome measures of stress, depression, burden, competence, role captivity, overload, mastery, coping, and reaction to memory issues. The intervention showed especially robust effect sizes (ES) in more compromised CGs. These positive outcomes emerged despite a significant measured deterioration in CRs' function.
Conclusion: The CARERS program may be an effective multicomponent intervention to improve the well-being, functioning, and coping skills of dementia CGs.
Keywords: cognitive behavioral therapy; dementia caregiver; group therapy; mental health; problem-solving techniques; simulation; stress.