Peer support for family carers of people with dementia, alone or in combination with group reminiscence in a factorial design: study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Georgina Charlesworth,Martin Knapp,Martin Orrell,Jennifer Wenborn,Bob Woods,Karen Burnell,Juanita Hoe,Ian Russell,Zoë Hoare,Jennifer Beecham

doi:10.1186/1745-6215-12-205

Abstract

BackgroundPeer support interventions can improve carer wellbeing and interventions that engage both the carer and person with dementia can have significant mutual benefits. Existing research has been criticised for inadequate rigour of design or reporting. This paper describes the protocol for a complex trial that evaluates one-to-one peer support and a group reminiscence programme, both separately and together, in a factorial design.DesignA 2 × 2 factorial multi-site randomised controlled trial of individual peer support and group reminiscence interventions for family carers and people with dementia in community settings in England, addressing both effectiveness and cost-effectiveness.DiscussionThe methods described in this protocol have implications for research into psychosocial interventions, particularly complex interventions seeking to test both individual and group approaches.Trial RegistrationISRCTN37956201

Highlights

Peer support interventions can improve carer wellbeing and interventions that engage both the carer and person with dementia can have significant mutual benefits
The methods described in this protocol have implications for research into psychosocial interventions, complex interventions seeking to test both individual and group approaches
Befriending and peer support interventions A recent systematic review of befriending interventions in healthcare established that befriending has a modest effect on depressive symptoms

Summary

Introduction

Peer support interventions can improve carer wellbeing and interventions that engage both the carer and person with dementia can have significant mutual benefits. This paper describes the protocol for a complex trial that evaluates oneto-one peer support and a group reminiscence programme, both separately and together, in a factorial design. Family carers of people with dementia experience greater strain and distress than carers of other older people [3]. Befriending and peer support interventions A recent systematic review of befriending interventions in healthcare established that befriending has a modest effect on depressive symptoms. For family carers of people with dementia neither the effectiveness nor the cost-effectiveness of befriending or peer support has been established. A large Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) of befriending found modest effects of long-term befriending, but was not cost-effective [12,13]

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