Older news items (pre-2010) brought over from the old website
Close caregiver relationship may slow Alzheimer's decline
A study of 167 pairs of caregivers and Alzheimer's patients has found that by the end of the study patients whose caregivers had scored their relationship as particularly close lost less than half as many points on average on a common cognitive test called the Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) as patients with more distant caregivers. The scores were based on a survey in which caregivers rated their level of agreement or disagreement with six statements, such as "My relationship with the care recipient is close"; "The care recipient makes me feel like a special person"; and "The care recipient and I can always discuss things together." The effect was strongest when the caregiver was a spouse, as opposed to an adult child or in-law. Patients with close spouses showed rates of decline similar to patients taking Alzheimer's drugs called acetylcholinesterase inhibitors. However, it can’t be ruled out that the effect may be due to slower decline encouraging caregivers to remain close. A follow-up study is planned to answer this question.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-07/jhmi-ccr072209.php
Norton, M.C. et al. 2009. Caregiver–Recipient Closeness and Symptom Progression in Alzheimer Disease. The Cache County Dementia Progression Study. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, Advance Access published on June 29, 2009.
Results of caregiver survey
Results from the third annual Alzheimer’s Foundation of America Investigating Caregivers’ Attitudes and Needs Survey found that about three in five caregivers say their children aged 8 to 21 are involved in caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s. Of the caregivers who feel they do a good job balancing the care of their loved ones with Alzheimer’s disease and children under 21, more than one-third (36%) specifically cited support from children as a contributor to their success. Additionally, nearly two-thirds (63%) would like more information about how to help their children cope when a loved one is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. Caregivers of sufferers whose diagnosis was delayed for a year or more say the delay was most often due to lack of caregiver familiarity with symptoms or insufficient knowledge about Alzheimer’s. Additional key survey findings can be found at www.alzfdn.org.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-03/fi-nad032508.php
Counseling Alzheimer's caregivers postpones the nursing home
A long-running study of 406 people caring for a spouse with dementia has found that a program of individual and family counseling sessions and ongoing support for caregivers delays by an average of 1.5 years the time when people with dementia are usually put in nursing homes.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/nyum-cac110806.php
Mittelman, M.S., Haley, W.E., Clay, O.J. & Roth, D.L. 2006. Improving caregiver well-being delays nursing home placement of patients with Alzheimer disease. Neurology, 67, 1592-1599.
Individualized counseling helps caregivers
A study of 642 people who were caring for a relative with Alzheimer's disease or a related disorder has found that those who participated in a counseling program were less likely to suffer depression and felt more confident and able to deal with caring for their relative. Hispanic and white participants saw the greatest benefit. In African-Americans, the intervention was effective among spouse-caregivers, but relatively ineffective among caregivers who were caring for a relative other than their husband or wife. Hispanics had the greatest improvement in reduction of caregiver depressive symptoms and problem behaviors of the recipient. Whites saw the most impact in the area of social support and African-American spouse-caregivers had the most positive outcome in reducing the caregiver burden and improving self-care.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/uopm-idc111506.php
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-11/nioa-npe111606.php
Belle, S.H. et al. 2006. Enhancing the Quality of Life of Dementia Caregivers from Different Ethnic or Racial Groups: A Randomized, Controlled Trial. Annals of Internal Medicine, 145(10), 727-738.
Collaborative care has better outcomes for both patients and caregivers
An 18-month study involving 153 older adults with Alzheimer's disease and their caregivers has found that restructuring the primary care practice environment to emphasize a team approach to care significantly improved the quality of care and behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. Caregivers were also less stressed and less depressed.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2006-05/iu-lai050406.php
Callahan, C.M. et al. 2006. Effectiveness of Collaborative Care for Older Adults With Alzheimer Disease in Primary Care: A Randomized Controlled Trial. JAMA, 295, 2148-2157.
Enhanced counseling eases depression among caregivers
A new report from of the NYU Spouse-Caregiver Intervention Study shows that a six-session counseling and long-term support program substantially eases the depression of people caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s, and that the mental health benefits apparently are long lasting. The study involved 406 caregivers, half of whom received the usual counseling--sessions provided on an ad-hoc basis upon request (control group). The other half was given three additional types of counseling: two sessions of individual counseling, four sessions of counseling with their family, and then weekly meetings with a support group of fellow caregivers. After one year, some 45% of the control group had symptoms of clinical depression, compared with 30% of those who had received special counseling. This group still showed fewer symptoms of depression on average than those in the control group three years later. There was no difference after five years. It was suggested that key factors in the enhanced treatment program were having the same counselor for all sessions, the use of multiple types of coordinated therapy, and counseling tailored to the particular coping challenges that each of the caregivers and their families were dealing with.
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-05/nyum-ece042704.php
Mittelman, M.S., Roth, D.L., Coon, D.W. & Haley, W.E. 2004. Sustained Benefit of Supportive Intervention for Depressive Symptoms in Caregivers of Patients With Alzheimer’s Disease. American Journal of Psychiatry, 161, 850-856.