Study the effect of resilience training on reducing stress and communication problems in the primary caregivers of the elderly with Alzheimer disease

Abstract

Objectives The caregivers of the family older member with Alzheimer disease face many challenges, sometimes describing as caring "36 hours a day". This hard work affects various aspects of the caregivers' life, including health, occupation, and income. The current study was designed to determine the effectiveness of resilience training on reducing stress and communication problems of the primary caregivers of older people with Alzheimer disease. Methods & Materials The present research was an experimental study with a pre-test-post-test and a control group with two months follow-up. The samples were selected from the primary caregivers of the families who had received services from Tehran Hamraze Zendegi Center for elderly rehabilitation at home, under the supervision of the Welfare Organization, between September 23, 2017, and November 22, 2017. A sample size of 24 (Mean±SD: 73.20±9.09 y) subjects were selected from 47 (Mean±SD: 42.41±7.51 y) older people with Alzheimer requesting services at home. Then, they were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. The data collection tools included "perceived stress scale" and "communication skills" questionnaire. Results The variance analysis of repeated measurements showed that the resilience intervention was significantly effective in the experimental group in the post-test and follow-up stages (regarding stress and communication problems scores at the level of P=0.05). The Bonferroni test results also indicated that the mean differences of stress and communication problems were significant between the pre-test with post-test and the follow-up stages (P=0.0001). However, the mean difference between post-test and follow-up was not significant in any of the research variables, suggesting no return in the outcomes of the intervention at the follow-up stage. This finding confirmed the sustainability of the intervention effect. Conclusion Considering older people's need to be supported by their relatives, resilience training appears to be an effective method capable of reducing stress and communication problems in caregivers of older people with Alzheimer disease.