Caregiving of persons with dementia: experience and interventions

Abstract

Objectives: We report the interim findings of a randomised controlled trial that assessed the efficacy of a home based exercise programme in alleviating depression among caregivers of persons with dementia. Methods: In this single blind randomised trial, participants were randomly assigned to receive eight sessions of home based 12 step sitting Tai Chi or a standard non exercise social contact control. Clinical response was evaluated with Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression（HAM D 17）, Zarit Carer Burden Interview（ZBI）, and cognitive assessment. Results: So far, 41 primary caregivers of persons with dementia have been recruited. Twenty one caregivers were randomised to the Tai Chi group whereas 20 to the control group. Using linear mixed models, HAM D 17 scores were found to reduce significantly among Tai Chi participants at week 12. In addition, delayed recall also improved in the intervention group. ZBI and other cognitive test scores did not change significantly at week 12. Conclusions: Our interim results suggested that Tai Chi was well tolerated and associated with reductions in the severity of depressive symptoms in caregivers.