Effect of Mindfulness Program on Caregivers’ Strain on Alzheimer’s Disease Caregivers

Abstract

Objectives The aim of the study was to determine the effect of mindfulness program on the caregivers’\rstrain on elderly patients with Alzheimer’s disease who were referred to the Iran Alzheimer’s Association\r2012.\rMethods & Materials This study was a quasi-experimental study with two groups and before and after\rdesign. The participants (n=60) were selected by convenience sampling method and then randomly allocated\rto intervention (n=30) and control (n=30) groups. The intervention group was trained with a\rmindfulness program for 6 weeks in two sessions (2 hours in each session per week). Data were collected\rthrough the caregiver’s strain questionnaires before and one week after the intervention.\rResults The mean of caregivers’ strain in the intervention group decreased from 36.96±6.72 to\r30.63±6.37 (P<0.05) while in the control group, the mean of caregivers’ strain before (35.56±7.61) and\rafter (35.80±6.68) the study did not show any significant differences (P>0.05).\rConclusion The results showed that the mindfulness program could reduce the caregivers’ strain on Alzheimer’s\rdisease, and these findings can be applicable for all caregivers.