Enhancing resourceful skills in family caregivers

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The importance of families as a health resource is predicted to significantly increase in the next decade. Family caregivers take on the responsibilities of caring for their loved ones at home with no or minimal preparation and knowledge about caregiving, their role and the health problems of their loved ones. The negative consequences on family caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's disease are well-documented. African Americans are underserved in dementia care, often receiving services later in the course of the disease than Whites, or not at all. Therefore, interventions are needed to decrease the negative consequences on family caregivers and increase their preparedness in caring for their loved ones at home. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effects of enhancing resourceful skill to decrease emotional distress and improve role outcomes in family caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's disease. Enhancing resourceful skill is an intervention postulated to improve family caregiver and recipient outcomes. The specific aims of this study are to determine: 1) the effect of resourceful skill intervention on family caregivers' resourcefulness; 2) the mediating effects of resourcefulness on family caregivers' emotional outcomes (depression and anxiety), role outcomes (role reward, preparedness), and quality of relationship with care recipient (mutuality); 3) the effect of enhancing resourceful skills on family caregiver emotional outcomes, role outcomes, and mutuality; 4)the effect of enhancing resourceful skills on family caregivers appraisals of memory and behavior problems in care recipient. The intervention is a 2-hour, 6 week program. All outcome measures will be collected at baseline, 6 weeks, and 3 months post intervention. The researchers hypothesize that family caregivers who receive the intervention will be more resourceful and that greater resourcefulness is linked to lower caregiver depression and anxiety, and more reward, preparedness, and mutuality. Given the negative consequences in family caregivers, a low cost intervention that has impact on improving health outcomes is significant. The unique contribution of this study include: a) a randomized control design, b) inclusion of African American caregivers; c) integration of role, self-regulatory theories and stress and coping model. The long-term objectives of this project are to improve caregivers' and care- recipients' quality of life.