Evaluation of a care management program on family caregivers of persons with dementia

As the U.S. population ages, dementia due to Alzheimer's or other disease is concerning for healthcare pro-viders. Family caregivers (FCGs) of persons with dementia (PWDs) may experience negative outcomes. The University of California, Davis, Health (UCDH) Alzheimer's and Dementia Care (ADC) Program provides care management for PWDs and their FCGs. This pilot study evaluates the program's effect on FCG depression, strain, and distress. Despite an increase in dementia severity in PWDs, FCGs experienced decreased levels of depression, strain, and distress following 12 to 18 months in the UCDH ADC Program. Other findings include PWDs experiencing reductions in severity of neuropsychiatric symptoms and remaining at home with FCGs. Despite limitations, such as a relatively small sample size and lack of sample diversity, this pilot study dem-onstrated positive outcomes to both PWDs and their FCGs and contributes to the literature supporting dementia care management programs. Future projects should address these limitations to understand the experiences of a diverse population and to make dementia care management programs sustainable.(c) 2023 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Automated summary

As the US population ages, dementia becomes a concern for healthcare providers. The University of California, Davis, Health (UCDH) Alzheimer's and Dementia Care (ADC) Program has shown positive outcomes in reducing depression, strain, and distress for family caregivers (FCGs) of persons with dementia (PWDs). Despite limitations, such as small sample size and lack of diversity, this pilot study contributes to the literature supporting the effectiveness of dementia care management programs.