In line with the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention, 80% of these dwelling with dementia obtain casual care from relations or mates. This equates to 16 million household caregivers within the U.S. Nonetheless, caring for relations with dementia is commonly related to elevated caregiver burden (which incorporates emotional, bodily, and monetary pressure), stress, and worse bodily well being for the caregiver.
A current research revealed within the Journal of Utilized Gerontology, led by George Mason College researchers, discovered {that a} 9-week on-line stress administration intervention program for household caregivers lowered burden scores by 15% for 97 household caregivers of older adults dwelling with dementia. The Stress-Busting Program for Household Caregivers TM, intervention was particularly designed to assist household caregivers with managing their very own stress when caring for older adults dwelling with dementia or a continual sickness
“On this research, we discovered proof of a spread in common caregiver burden ranges based mostly on the dementia severity class of care recipients. The findings present that a web-based Zoom intervention in a peer group setting could be useful for household caregivers of older adults with delicate, average, or extreme dementia,” mentioned Catherine Tompkins, principal investigator, professor of social work, and affiliate dean of school and employees affairs within the School of Public Well being.
The intervention supplied household caregivers with training and techniques to handle stress when caring for somebody dwelling with dementia. Examples of self-care methods included respiration and meditation; troubleshooting behaviors related to dementia; and peer-to-peer help inside a digital group setting.
“Lowering caregiver burden and managing stress are important to the well-being of households. These findings present that efficient stress administration interventions for household caregivers could be facilitated by means of on-line peer teams,” mentioned Gilbert Gimm, first creator and affiliate professor of well being administration and coverage.
“Mason Caregivers Aiming for Resilience, Empowerment, and Help Examine: Assessing Household Caregiver Burden Put up-Intervention” was revealed on-line in April 2024. Co-authors embody George Mason Affiliate Professor Megumi Inoue, Professor Emily Ihara, Mason CARES Mission Supervisor Shannon Layman, and Grasp of Social Work alumna graduate Harveen Pantleay. This research was supported by a grant (#2021048) from the Retirement Analysis Basis (RRF).
The research is a component of a bigger undertaking, entitled Mason CARES (Caregivers Aiming for Resilience, Empowerment, and Help), that carried out and assessed interventions for household caregivers.
