Resources for enhancing alzheimer's caregiver health (REACH): Overview, site-specific outcomes, and future directionsCitation Schulz, R., Burgio, L., Burns, R., Eisdorfer, C., Gallagher-Thompson, D., Gitlin, L.N. & Mahoney, D.F. (2003). Resources for enhancing alzheimer's caregiver health (REACH): Overview, site-specific outcomes, and future directions. The Gerontologist, 43(4) 514-520. Design Traditional multi-site randomized controlled clinical trial (random assignment of participants to treatment and control conditions, common database and outcome measures, and identical measurement intervals across sites). There are 6 sites (Boston, Birmingham, Memphis, Miami, Palo Alto, and Philadelphia).
Participants Total N from 6 sites = 1,222 family caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's disease at the mild to moderate level of impairment Procedure Results from 30 studies (34 interventions) - Counseling, Education, Family Counseling, Support Groups, Stress Management, Training (excludes respite care) Outcomes Caregiver interventions have modest but significant benefits on caregiver knowledge, psychological morbidity, and other main outcome measures (such as coping skills and social support).
Average patient in the treatment group was less depressed than about 62% of the patients in the control group. Caregivers were frequently satisfied or very satisfied with their interventions, appraised their own coping skills as improved, reported that their relationship with the patient had improved, identified helpful training elements, and mostly (71%) reported that they would use training again. There was significant increase in the involvement of the patient in addition to the caregiver in a structured program, such as teaching the caregiver problem-solving skills in the care of the patient. Programs that involve the patients and their families and are more intensive and modified to caregivers' needs may be more successful.
Author Schulz, R., Burgio, L., Burns, R., Eisdorfer, C., Gallagher-Thompson, D., Gitlin, L.N. & Mahoney, D.F. | 
