Counseling and Support Reduce Risk of Caregiver Depression

From the American Journal of Alzheimer's Disease & Other Dementias:

Short-term, intensive counseling, in conjunction with readily available support, can significantly reduce the long-term risk of depression among husbands and wives caring for spouses with AD. The positive impact of these interventions continued for more than three years after the initial counseling sessions ended and persisted even after those with AD died or were placed in nursing homes, according to a study supported by the National Institute on Aging.

The findings by Mary Mittelman, DrPH and her colleagues at the New York University School of Medicine in NYC appear in the American Journal of Psychiatry. The Dr. and her colleagues followed 406 participants in this Caregiver Intervention Study, the longest-running study of an intervention for family caregivers. Half of the caregivers, randomly assigned to an "enhanced" counseling group, participated in two individual and four family counseling sessions. They also attended weekly support groups. The second group did not have contact with counselors. However, they could choose to participate in support groups and use the crisis counseling. Both groups of spouse-caregivers were followed regularly until two years after the death of their spouse or until the study ended.

At the start of the study, the two groups showed comparable levels of depressive symptoms. After one year, the group that received the enhanced counseling and attended regular support groups showed significantly reduced symptoms of clinical depression. These statistics were found to be true through the third year of follow-up.

"The sustainability of these effects shows that an individualized program of counseling and continuing support is a potent intervention", Dr. Mittelman says in her paper.

Since caregivers of persons with an illness that includes dementia are three times more likely than their peers to suffer depression, these findings are a positive step in the education and support of family caregivers.

For more information regarding support groups in your area, please contact the Alzheimer's Association of WNY at (716)626-0600.

For information regarding ElderWood Senior Care, please contact us at (716) 633-3900.