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THE PRINCE HENRY HOSPITAL DEMENTIA CAREGIVERS’ TRAINING PROGRAMME
Author(s) -
BRODATY HENRY,
GRESHAM MEREDITH,
LUSCOMBE GEORGINA
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
international journal of geriatric psychiatry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.28
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1099-1166
pISSN - 0885-6230
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-1166(199702)12:2<183::aid-gps584>3.0.co;2-j
Subject(s) - retraining , respite care , medicine , dementia , psychological intervention , randomized controlled trial , physical therapy , nursing , gerontology , disease , surgery , pathology , international trade , business
Objective . To describe the theory, elements and practice of a successful caregiver training programme; and report the 8‐year outcome. Design. Prospective, randomized control trial and longitudinal follow‐up over approximately 8 years. Setting. Psychiatry unit, general teaching hospital, Sydney, Australia. Participants . 96 persons less than 80 years old with mild to moderate dementia and their cohabiting caregivers. Interventions. All patients received a 10‐day structured memory retraining and activity programme. Caregivers in the immediate and wait‐list caregiver training groups received a structured, residential, intensive 10‐day training programme, boosted by follow‐ups and telephone conferences over 12 months. Those in the wait‐list group entered the programme after waiting 6 months. The third group of caregivers received 10 days’ respite (while patients underwent their memory retraining programme) and 12 months booster sessions as for the other groups. Main outcome measures . Nursing home admission; time until patient death. Main results . 64% of patients whose caregivers were in the immediate training group, 53% of wait‐list group patients and 70% of memory retraining patients had died. Nursing home admission had occurred in 79% of the immediate training, 83% of the delayed and 90% of the memory retraining group. Eight‐year survival analysis indicated that patients whose caregivers received training stayed at home significantly longer ( p = 0.037) and tended to live longer ( p = 0.08). Conclusions . Caregiver training programmes demonstrably can delay institutionalization of people with dementia. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.