Effects of a Dementia Family Support Program on Families’ Attitude towards Dementia, Desire for Institutionalization, Caregiving Behavior and Caregiving Burden

Effects of a Dementia Family Support Program on Families’ Attitude towards Dementia, Desire for Institutionalization, Caregiving Behavior and Caregiving Burden

The present one-group pretest-posttest pre-experimental study verified the effects of a dementia family support program on the families’ attitude towards dementia, desire for institutionalization, caregiving behavior and caregiving burden. 11 subjects, who were registered as family members of dementia patients in two dementia institutions in Gyeonggido and wanted to participate in the support program, were included in the program and surveyed from July 1 to September 30, 2016. The program was offered to the families of dementia patients for two hours weekly for six weeks and dealt with understanding dementia, self-healing, communication, living happily, living together and planning the future. The Dementia Attitudes Scale (DAS), the Desire to Institutionalization Questionnaire(DIQ), the Modified Conflict Tactics Scale for caregiving behavior, and the Short Zarit Burden Inventory(S-ZBI) for caregiving burden were used as instruments. The participants’ attitude towards dementia, caregiving behavior and caregiving burden were statistically insignificant, whereas their attitude towards and knowledge on dementia(44.73±14.56, 50.73±12.74)(t=0.65, p=.534) and total score (88.18±21.81, 92.55±16.98) negligibly increased. The physical aggression in the caregiving behavior (92.55±16.98, 1.00±1.27)(t=1.23, p=.245) and total score (4.45±2.98, 4.18±2.40)(t=0.39, p=.706) decreased. As for the caregiving burden, personal burden(16.73±6.60, 13.73±3.41), role burden(6.64±2.77, 6.09±2.84) and total score (23.36±8.61, 19.82±4.71) decreased(t=1.40, p=.193)(t=.43, p=.679)(t=1.19, p=.274). There was a statistically significant decrease in the desire for institutionalization (t=4.18, p=.002). These findings indicated the support program relieved the dementia families of the caregiving burden and exerted positive effects on the caregiving behavior and the attitude towards dementia of families caring for dementia patients. Also, the program decreased the des