The family series workshop: a community-based psychoeducational intervention

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Psychology
• Public Health

Background:

• Caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease or related dementias (ADRD) face significant challenges.
• Psychoeducational interventions can offer support and improve caregiver outcomes.
• Community-based programs are vital for accessible caregiver support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of 'The Family Series Workshop,' a community-based psychoeducational intervention for caregivers of persons with ADRD.
• To assess changes in caregiver stress, coping strategies, and caregiving competence.
• To identify predictors of caregiving competence.

Main Methods:

• A one-group pretest-posttest design was employed.
• Thirty-five caregivers of community-dwelling persons with ADRD participated.
• Participants attended six weekly sessions of the intervention.

Main Results:

• Significant improvement in caregiving competence was observed.
• A marginally significant increase in coping with humor was noted.
• Regression analysis revealed that coping with humor and stress significantly predicted caregiving competence.

Conclusions:

• Community-based psychoeducational interventions can effectively enhance caregiving competence.
• The 'grassroots' approach is feasible for delivering education on challenging caregiving topics.
• Humor and stress management are important factors in caregiver competence.