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Impact of a therapeutic educational program on quality of life in Alzheimer’s disease: Results of a pilot study

Authors

Villars, Hélène, Dupuy, Charlotte, Perrin, Amélie, Vellas, Bruno, Nourhashemi, Fati

Journal

Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, Volume: 43, No.: 1, Pages.: 167-176

Year of Publication

2015

Abstract

Background: Therapeutic patient education is expanding in the field of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Objective: To evaluate the impact of a therapeutic educational program, on AD-affected patients and their caregivers, living in the community, on the patient’s quality of life. Methods: Non experimental before and after study. Patient/caregiver dyads were recruited in the geriatric department of the Toulouse University Hospital. The intervention consisted of an educational program, designed for both patients and caregivers. It included two individual sessions (at baseline (M0) and two months later (M2)) and four group sessions for caregivers only, one per week between M0 and M2. The primary outcome was the patient’s quality of life at two months, hetero-evaluated by the caregiver. We compared the QoL-AD score between M0 and M2 with a paired Student’s test. The secondary outcomes were patient’s autonomy (activities of daily living) and caregiver’s burden (Zarit Burden interview). Results: 29 patient/caregiver dyads were recruited. The QoL-AD score was 24.6 ± 5.1 at M0 versus 27.2 ± 6.0 at M2 (p = 0.038). This difference is statistically significant. There was no difference in the secondary outcomes. Conclusion: This study revealed a significant positive impact of a therapeutic educational program on patients’ quality of life. Our results led us to design a randomized controlled trial called the THERAD study (THERapeutic education in Alzheimer’s disease). It started in January 2013, and the results will be available in 2015. If the efficacy of this approach is proven, it will be important to implement educational programs in the care plan of these patients. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved). (journal abstract)

Keywords

alzheimer’s disease, caregiver, caregivers, client education, educational, educational programs, programme, quality of life, therapeutic education

Countries of Study

France

Types of Dementia

Alzheimer’s Disease

Types of Study

Before and After Study

Type of Outcomes

ADLs/IADLs, Carer Burden (instruments measuring burden), Quality of Life of Person With Dementia

Settings

Community

Type of Interventions

Intervention for Carers, Non-pharmacological Treatment

Non-Pharmaceutical Interventions

Other

Carer Focussed Interventions

Information and Advice