Day care program for older adults with dementia: A multidiscipilinary approach for patients and family caregivers from Argentina

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundDay care programs for older adults with dementia is an effective strategy that allows prolonging the functionality of the elderly, their support and that of their family reducing home care costs and delaying the institutionalization of patients with cognitive impairment. The aim of the present work is to describe the main goals and the implementation of a multidisciplinary day care program for patients with dementia and their family caregivers in Argentina.MethodSubjects: 22 patients and their family caregivers, who attend a day care program in Argentina. Instruments: socio‐demographic and psychosocial questionnaire of both patient and caregiver (built ad hoc) Patient: MMSE, GDS, HAD‐A, PANAS‐VRARG, EQ‐5D and instrumental and basic habilites of daily living. Family caregiver: Zarit Burden Interview. Procedure: The intervention for patients consists of two different lines of work, one for the patient, and another for the family member. The activities are coordinated by a multidisciplinary group of professionals. Regarding the caregiver, individual orientation interviews and therapeutic group spaces and psycho‐educational material are offered.ResultPreliminary data of 22 patients and caregivers, who have taken part in the program so far, indicate that: Patient: median age was years 75,27 old (ds = 9,28), % 63,6 of which are woman. The values obtain in the instrument are: MMSE 22,45 (ds = 4,78) GDS 4,47 (ds = 3,73), HAD‐A 3,66 (ds = 3,39), (PANAS ‐E‐VRARG) Negative ítems 7,70 (ds = 3,11) (PANAS ‐E‐VRARG) Positive ítems 18,7 (ds = 3,13), EQ‐5D 77,35 (ds = 16,21) and BHDL 93,63 (ds = 13,10), IHDL 9,1 (ds = 3,31) . And for family caregivers the mean age was 65,27 old (ds = 11,37), % 66,71 of which are woman. Caregivers Zarit Burden Interview mean score was 40,18 (ds = 11,35).ConclusionOur findings concur with those presented in scientific literature and support the WHO recommendations regarding the need to implement multidisciplinary programs for patients with dementia and family caregivers, in order to moderate the impact that providing care for an elderly relative with a neurological disease has on them.