Relaxation Therapy for Alzheimer's Caregivers

描述（由申请人提供）：老龄化的婴儿潮一代，更长的寿命，以及阿尔茨海默病和相关疾病（ADRD）水平的上升将在不久的将来导致主要的护理危机。虽然家庭照顾者提供了非常有价值的服务，但他们在情感和身体上都付出了相当大的代价。对于照顾者来说，有效的压力管理程序是至关重要的：1)帮助他们减轻压力，2)改善他们的情绪和身体健康，3)使他们能够控制自己的生活。这项随机对照临床试验的总体目标是确定压力减压计划（SBP）对ADRD患者护理人员的有效性。具体研究目标包括：1)使用生物仪器测量肌肉张力、皮肤电反应、皮肤温度、血容量脉搏和血压，前瞻性地确定收缩压与标准支持组（SSG）相比对生活质量、免疫反应和放松反应的影响；2)基于生活质量测量、免疫参数和放松反应，评估成年儿童照顾者与配偶照顾者相比收缩压或SSG的有效性。受试者将在基线、完成4周和8周的收缩压或SSG以及2个月和4个月的随访期间进行测试，以确定干预的长期有效性。建议的8周多模式收缩压将侧重于压力管理，放松疗法，以及与压力和放松相关的教育，管理挑战性行为，抑郁，应对策略，积极思考，为自己留出时间。会议的背景是一个教育支持小组。将使用重复测量设计来确定与SSG相比收缩压的有效性。结果将使用社会心理工具以及包括生物仪器和免疫参数在内的最新科学技术来测量生物反应。SBP被认为是一种减少照顾者所经历的压力水平并教会他们有效应对策略的方法。如果发现收缩压在减轻压力、改善生活质量、促进放松和/或提高家庭照顾者的免疫能力方面比SSG更有效，这些发现将具有重要的临床意义，为经历巨大持续压力的人群提供一种经济有效的健康促进策略。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Aging baby boomers, longer life spans, and rising levels of Alzheimer's disease and related disorders (ADRD) will result in a major caregiver crisis in the near future. Although family caregivers perform an incredibly valuable service, they do so at a considerable cost to themselves both emotionally and physically. Effective stress management programs for caregivers are vitally needed to 1) help them decrease their stress, 2) improve their emotional and physical health, and 3) empower them to gain control of their lives. The overall goal of this randomized controlled clinical trial is to determine the effectiveness of a stress-busting program (SBP) for caregivers of patients with ADRD. Specific research aims include: 1) to prospectively determine the effects of a SBP compared to a standard support group (SSG) on quality of life, immune response, and relaxation response using bioinstrumentation to measure muscle tension, electrodermal response, skin temperature, blood volume pulse, and blood pressure and 2) to assess the effectiveness of SBP or SSG for adult children caregivers as compared to spousal caregivers based on quality of life measurements, immune parameters, and relaxation response. Subjects will be tested at baseline, at completion of 4 and 8 weeks of SBP or SSG, and at 2- and 4-month follow-up sessions to determine the long-term effectiveness of the intervention. The proposed 8- week multimodal SBP will focus on stress management, relaxation therapy, and education related to stress and relaxation, managing challenging behavior, depression, coping strategies, positive thinking, and taking time for oneself. The setting will be an educational support group. A repeated measures design will be used to determine the effectiveness of SBP compared to SSG. Outcomes will be measured using psychosocial instruments as well as state-of-the science technology including bioinstrumentation and immune parameters to measure biological responses. The SBP is proposed as a way to decrease the level of stress experienced by caregivers and teach them effective coping strategies. If SBP is found to be more effective than SSG in decreasing stress, improving quality of life, promoting relaxation, and/or enhancing immunocompetence in family caregivers, these findings would have important clinical significance for providing a cost effective health promotion strategy for a group of people who experience tremendous ongoing stress.