Intervention for Skills Training and Anxiety in Family Caregiver of Patients With Dementia

Purpose: The caregivers population continue increasing and the lack of knowledge in nursing techniques still present, that is why nurses should improve the existing evidence about interventions for caregivers and propose more programs that help this population improving the quality of the cares they deliver and their own psycological and physical health. The present reasearch developed a program focused on decreasing anxiety in the coping process in family caregivers of dementia patients, looking for advantaging the positive adaptation as caregivers by improving de roll function and abilities . This project is based on Roy's Adaptation Model, making the intervention a contextual stimulus for the participants through acquiring cares knowledge and this way, reducing the anxiety. Aim: To evaluate the effect of a nursing intervention focused on decreasing the anxiety by improving the skills for family caregivers of dementia elderly adults living in Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico. With this, demonstrate the need of creating a permanent program for caregivers' skills training .

Methods: Quasi-experimental design was used in two groups (Experimental and control group) with repeated measurements in four times to meet the changes in anxiety related to the lack of knowledges and cares' skills. Both groups received eight weekly sessions. The experimental group received a multicomponent training that includes skills training, cares techniques and relaxation therapies (n=15) compared with control group who received information about nourishing and falls prevention.The sample ang sampling was randomized by convenience.

Results: The obtained outcomes let us come up with an intervention model raised by nursing staff that shows great changes with a significant effect in decreasing the anxiety (λ= 0.452; F= 14.526; p=0.000; ɳ2=0.548) and improving the knwoledge and skills for delivering cares.This effects continued in the following measure, four weeks after the intervention.

Conclusion: The authors can probe the meaning of nurses team in developing and delivering skills training programs and psycoeducation for this population, giving them the benefits of learning the proper techniques for caregiving, real procedures and, this way improving their health, achieving the positive adaptation to the roll as a caregiver, diminishing the risk of psycological and physical problems.