Abstract
Objective
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a psychoeducational intervention,
Powerful Tools for Caregivers (PTC), for family caregivers of individuals with dementia.
Design
A pragmatic, 2-arm randomized controlled trial compared the PTC intervention, as delivered
in practice, to usual care. Participants randomized to usual care functioned as a
control group and then received the PTC intervention.
Intervention
PTC is a 6-week manualized program that includes weekly 2-hour classes in a group
setting facilitated by 2 trained and certified leaders. The educational program helps
caregivers to enhance self-care practices and manage emotional distress.
Setting and participants
Two stakeholder organizations delivered the intervention in community settings. Participants
were family caregivers of individuals with dementia recruited from the community in
Florida.
Methods
Primary outcomes were caregiver burden and behavioral and psychological symptoms of
dementia of the care recipient. Secondary outcomes included caregiver depressive symptoms,
self-efficacy, self-rated health, and life satisfaction. Measures were collected at
baseline (n = 60 participants), postintervention (n = 55), and at 6-week follow-up
(n = 44).
Results
Intent-to-treat analyses found PTC reduced caregiver burden (d = −0.48) and depressive symptoms (d = −0.53), and increased self-confidence (d = 0.68), but found no significant benefit for behavioral and psychological symptoms
of dementia in care recipients. PTC was rated highly by participants and program attrition
was low, with 94% of caregivers completing at least 4 of the 6 classes.
Conclusions and implications
Although no significant effects were found for behavioral and psychological symptoms
of dementia, this trial supports the effectiveness of PTC to improve caregiver outcomes
as delivered in the community.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: December 19, 2019
Footnotes
This work was supported by the Florida Department of Health, Ed and Ethel Moore Alzheimer’s Disease Research Program, Award Number 6AZ09. Investigators have also received support from the Health Resources and Services Administration, Geriatrics Workforce Enhancement Program, and by the National Institute on Aging of the National Institutes of Health, Award Numbers U1QHP28709, R21AG057917, and R01AG053297. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the funding sources. The funding sources had no roles on the study design, implementation, analyses, or the decision to submit the manuscript for publication.
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
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© 2019 AMDA - The Society for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine.
