JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Dementia is a neurodegenerative syndrome characterized by impaired cognitive functions associated with psychological and behavioral disorders. The informal caregiver has a central role in the life of the person with dementia. Committing a large part of the day to caring for the assisted person inevitably has an effect on the caregiver's life.

Objective:

To analyze the impact of a psychosocial intervention dedicated to a group of informal caregivers of patients with Alzheimer’s disease, guided by a trained psychologist for facilitating the expression of emotional state, compared to a traditional self-help group.

Methods:

The study design is Randomized Controlled Trial, that includes an experimental group, in which the participants will undertake the psychosocial intervention, and a control group, where participants will receive support according to the traditional self-help methodology. Interventions for both groups will last 4 months with 16 sessions.

Results:

We hypothesize that the experimental group is more effective in managing caregiver burden and coping strategies and that this can be more helpful in the perception of well-being, anxiety and depression of the caregiver.

Conclusions:

Our study aims to compare two types of help: self-mutual help and a psychosocial group with elements of emotional support. This study may also give us more information about the most appropriate ways to support and help caregivers of people with dementia. Clinical Trial: The study was approved by the Ethic Committee of the Istituto Nazionale Ricovero e Cura per Anziani (IRCCS INRCA) on the 26th of November 2020.