Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #111121

Richard H. Fortinsky, PhD and Lisa Kenyon-Pesce, MPH. University of Connecticut Center on Aging, University of Connecticut Health Center, 263 Farmington Avenue, Farmington, CT 06030-5215, 860-679-8069, fortinsky@nso1.uchc.edu

Dementia is becoming a public health problem due to its growing impact on older adults and their family caregivers. This study tested the efficacy of a 12-month individualized dementia care consultation intervention for family caregivers of community-dwelling persons with dementia. The care consultant was located at the Alzheimer's Association, Connecticut chapter office in Hartford. Randomization to the intervention or control group was based on the primary care physician practice site that referred the person with dementia and the family caregiver to this study. The intervention group included 54 family caregivers from 13 practice sites; the control group included 30 family caregivers from 13 different practice sites. Outcome measures were: whether or not the person with dementia was admitted permanently to a nursing home during the 12-month study period, and 12-month changes in several caregiver health variables: self-efficacy for managing dementia; self-efficacy for accessing community support services; depressive symptoms; caregiver burden; and physical health symptoms. Before accounting for clustering of individuals within practice sites, the relative risk of nursing home admission among intervention group individuals with dementia was 0.44 (p=0.05). After accounting for site clustering, the relative risk was 0.59 (p=0.09). No significant group differences were found on any of the family caregiver health-related variables; both groups showed improvement in these measures over the 12-month study period. This intervention was successful in helping family caregivers delay or avoid admitting relatives with dementia to nursing homes, and can be considered as a model dementia care consultation service for Alzheimer's Association chapters.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe results and implications of a randomized trial testing an individualized care consultation model for family caregivers of persons with dementia.
• Understand the role of Alzheimer's Association chapters in providing care consultation for family caregivers.

Keywords: Aging, Dementia

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation