Excerpt

In 2004, the Office of the Assistant Deputy estimated that the total number of Veterans with dementia would be as high as 563,758 in FY 2010. Individuals with dementia are frequently cared for at home by a friend or family member. The progressive nature of the illness and the intensity of care that may be required in caring for a loved one with dementia have physical, emotional, and psychological impacts on the caregiver (CG). The purpose of this report is to review systematically the evidence on the effects of CG interventions on CG burden, mood (including depression and anxiety), and ability to manage problematic behavior, as well as the effects on the care recipient (CR).

Contents

• PREFACE
• EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
  • BACKGROUND
  • METHODS
  • RESULTS
  • DISCUSSION
• INTRODUCTION
  • BACKGROUND
• METHODS
  • TOPIC DEVELOPMENT
  • SEARCH STRATEGY
  • STUDY SELECTION
  • DATA ABSTRACTION
  • QUALITY ASSESSMENT
  • DATA SYNTHESIS
  • PEER REVIEW
• RESULTS
  • LITERATURE SEARCH
  • KEY QUESTION #1. Do CG interventions affect the CG’s knowledge and ability to manage problematic behavior, psychosocial burden, health and health behaviors, or outcomes in the individual with dementia?
  • KEY QUESTION #2. What are adverse effects of CG interventions?
• DISCUSSION
  • FUTURE RESEARCH RECOMMENDATIONS
• REFERENCES
• Appendices
  • APPENDIX A INCLUSION/EXCLUSION CRITERIA
  • APPENDIX B QUALITY RATING CRITERIA FOR SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS
  • APPENDIX C USPSTF QUALITY RATING CRITERIA FOR RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIALS (RCTS) AND COHORT STUDIES CRITERIA
  • APPENDIX D ABBREVIATIONS
  • APPENDIX E REVIEWER COMMENTS AND RESPONSES

Prepared for: Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Health Services Research & Development Service, Washington, DC 20420. Prepared by: Evidence-based Synthesis Program (ESP) Center, Portland VA Medical Center, Portland, OR; Devan Kansagara, MD, MCR, Director

Suggested citation:

Goy E, Freeman M, Kansagara D. A Systematic Evidence Review of Interventions for Non-professional Caregivers of Individuals with Dementia. VA-ESP Project #05-225: 2010

This report is based on research conducted by the Evidence-based Synthesis Program (ESP) Center located at the Portland VA Medical Center, Portland, OR funded by the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Health Administration, Office of Research and Development, Health Services Research and Development. The findings and conclusions in this document are those of the author(s) who are responsible for its contents; the findings and conclusions do not necessarily represent the views of the Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States government. Therefore, no statement in this article should be construed as an official position of the Department of Veterans Affairs. No investigators have any affiliations or financial involvement (e.g., employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties) that conflict with material presented in the report.