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Preliminary study of a communication intervention for family caregivers and spouses with dementia
Author(s) -
Williams Christine L.,
Newman David,
Hammar Lena Marmstål
Publication year - 2018
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/gps.4816
Subject(s) - spouse , dementia , intervention (counseling) , session (web analytics) , nonverbal communication , family caregivers , psychology , scale (ratio) , clinical psychology , gerontology , medicine , psychiatry , developmental psychology , physics , disease , pathology , quantum mechanics , sociology , world wide web , anthropology , computer science
Objective This study was to designed to examine the feasibility and preliminary outcomes of CARE: C aring A bout R elationships and E motions, a 10‐week, home‐based, intervention to support married couples affected by dementia. Methods Fifteen older couples participated in a single group repeated measures feasibility study. Weekly, video‐recorded conversations over 10 weeks were used to rate communication using the Verbal/Nonverbal Interaction Scale for caregivers and care receivers. Results Accounting for mental status of care recipients, the ratio of social to unsocial communication showed a significant improvement across sessions‐an average of 4.46 points per session [ β = 4.46, t (10) = 1.96, p = .039]. Spouse caregiver (CG) communication showed a significant decrease in the number of disabling communications with approximately .65 decreased comments per session [ β = 0.654, t (11) = −2.61, p = .024]. Conclusions At home dyadic, relationship‐focused psychoeducational intervention to improve communication in spouses affected by dementia has the potential to improve communication outcomes. Creative ways of working with couples are needed to help them sustain their relationships and maintain their health.