The Effects of a Support Group on Dementia Caregivers’ Burden and Depression

Abstract

The improvement in dementia caregivers' depression levels shows that the support group was effective for reducing caregivers' depression although not effective for relieving their burden of care.

Support groups for carers of a person with dementia who lives at home: A focused ethnographic study

“…As the illness progressed, carers felt compelled to make decisions on behalf of the care receivers but taking on a role of authority was seemingly difficult. This finding resonates with the work of Chu et al (), who found that being forced to make decisions on behalf of a person with dementia led to feelings of stress, crisis, anger, powerlessness, and difficult caregiver situations, as the carer and care receiver did not always see eye to eye. Accepting the shift of power in the relationship was a subject that the carers needed to discuss in‐depth, as it came as a shock for most of them.…”

“…These negative experiences were recognized and added to by peers, thereby creating a sense of acceptance in the group that negative feelings were legitimate and nothing to be ashamed of. Venting negative experiences among peers is well‐known from previous research (Chu et al, ; Keyes et al, ; Shim et al, ). However, the present study also showed that carers experienced a lack of respect from surrounding society, which carers viewed as hurtful and harmful for the person with dementia.…”

“…Studies have shown that most people with dementia who live in their own homes receive unpaid care from family, friends, or neighbours (Egdell, ; Golden & Lund, ). As the care receiver's cognitive deterioration increases, the demands for care often lead to carers gaining negative life experiences by feeling stressed and burdened (Chu et al, ; Keyes et al, ). As caregiving becomes more time consuming, the carer's social network shrinks, resulting in isolation and loneliness (Yu, Cheng, & Wang, ).…”

Interventions for Caregivers of People with Dementia in Greece

“…To sum up, anxiety and depression are reduced and the sense of burden diminished while anger, loneliness and loss are being effectively treated [36,37,38]. E) Support group using literature entitled "Listen to my story"…”

A Speech-Language Pathologist’s Guide to Creating a Support Group for Caregivers of Persons With Dementia

“…Song, Lindquist, Winderburg, Cairns, and Thakur (2011) suggested that persons involved in a caregiver support group reported greater feelings of support on social network and social support scales than those in the control group who had not been involved in social support. Similarly, Chu et al (2011) explored the effectiveness of a support group for caregivers of persons with dementia in relieving symptoms of depression and reducing caregiver burden. The data suggested that the support group reduced depression, attributing this to the realization that feelings experienced are shared by others.…”