To view an abstract, select an author from the vertical list on the left side.

2005 Grant - Judge

Strength-Based Skills Training for Caregiving Dyads with Dementia

Katherine Judge, Ph.D.
Benjamin Rose Institute
Cleveland, Ohio

2005 New Investigator Research Grant

Coping with Alzheimer's disease can be extremely challenging and can take a heavy toll on both the person with the disease and their primary caregiver— usually a family member. In fact, because the vast majority of care occurs in the home, it is important that there is sufficient support available for family members to provide the best possible care while effectively coping with their role and taking care of themselves.

To address this need, Katherine Judge, Ph.D., and colleagues have formulated a two-year pilot program called "Acquiring New Skills While Enhancing Remaining Strengths." Designed for both people with Alzheimer's and their primary caregiver—or "caregiving dyads"—the program is a mix of educa-tional skills training for the caregiver and cognitive rehabilitation training for the person with dementia.

Judge and colleagues will evaluate the program with the help of 50 volunteer dyads. Half will be put through the program and the other half will serve as a control group. Both caregivers and people with dementia will be assessed on a variety of parameters, including anxiety, depression, general well-being and emotional strain. If the program proves promising, it will be tested in a much larger trial. The outcome of this work may improve the quality of life for people with Alzheimer's disease and their care partners.