Care for people suffering from a dementing illness is complicated, stressful, and often expensive. Of the various problems faced by family caregivers, disturbances in behavior and mood are the most stressful and often lead to the breakdown of the caregiving situation and institutionalization of the patient. One of the more promising ways of addressing care needs for patients living in the community is through adult day service programs (ADS), which provide structured activities that utilize patients' remaining abilities and give caregivers a break from the often continuous pressures they face. In previous work by our research group, we found that caregivers who enrolled a relative with dementia into an ADS program experienced significant reductions in care- related stressors and improved well-being, compared to a control group. The proposed study extends that work by exploring the effects of ADS on the behavior and mood of dementia patients. ADS may affect behavior and mood by keeping patients involved in structured activities. By easing the problems faced by family caregivers, ADS use may also reduce use of health and long term care services. The proposed study will use a quasi-experimental, nonequivalent group design. People with dementia who are starting an ADS program and their caregivers will be compared to a control group not using these services. It is hypothesized that dementia patients using ADS will experience significant reductions in behavior problems and depressive symptoms over time, compared to controls. We also expect that caregivers in the ADS group will experience decreases in care-related stress and improved well-being, and will use fewer health and long-term care services than the control group. These changes will be mediated by improvements in their relative's behavior.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
1R01MH059027-01
Application #
2723731
Study Section
Mental Disorders of Aging Review Committee (MDA)
Program Officer
Gonzales, Junius J
Project Start
1999-02-01
Project End
2004-01-31
Budget Start
1999-02-01
Budget End
2000-01-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
1999
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Pennsylvania State University
Department
Other Health Professions
Type
Other Domestic Higher Education
DUNS #
City
University Park
State
PA
Country
United States
Zip Code
16802
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Lee, Soomi; Duvander, Ann-Zofie; Zarit, Steven H (2016) How can family policies reconcile fertility and women's employment? Comparisons between South Korea and Sweden. Asian J Women Stud 22:269-288
Kim, Kyungmin; Zarit, Steven H; Femia, Elia E et al. (2012) Kin relationship of caregivers and people with dementia: stress and response to intervention. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry 27:59-66
Zarit, Steven H; Kim, Kyungmin; Femia, Elia E et al. (2011) Effects of adult day care on daily stress of caregivers: a within-person approach. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 66:538-46
Zarit, Steven; Femia, Elia (2008) Behavioral and psychosocial interventions for family caregivers. Am J Nurs 108:47-53;quiz 53
Femia, Elia E; Zarit, Steven H; Stephens, Mary Ann Parris et al. (2007) Impact of adult day services on behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia. Gerontologist 47:775-88
Son, Juheui; Erno, Amy; Shea, Dennis G et al. (2007) The caregiver stress process and health outcomes. J Aging Health 19:871-87