The effect of telephone support groups on costs of care for veterans with dementia
Year of Publication 2010
Abstract
Purpose: Few studies have addressed the effects of caregiver interventions on the costs of care for the care recipient. This study evaluated the effects of a caregiver education and support group delivered via the telephone on care recipient health care utilization and cost.; Design and Methods: The Telehealth Education Program (TEP) is a manualized program of education and support designed for caregivers of veterans with moderate-to-severe dementia. One hundred fifty-eight spousal caregivers were randomly assigned to either the ten 1-hr sessions of TEP or the usual care (UC). Health care utilization and cost data were extracted from veterans Information System Technology Architecture databases and included outpatient, impatient eteran care recipients. Future studies of caregiver interventions should examine their effects on costs of care for the care recipients in addition to their effects on caregiver outcomes.;