Multicomponent School of Caring Program to Support Caregivers of Patients With Dementia: A Quasi-Experimental Effectiveness Study in Primary Care.

Abstract (English)

PURPOSE: We aimed to evaluate the multicomponent School of Caring program supporting caregivers of patients with dementia with respect to caregiver burden, quality of life, emotional well-being, self-efficacy, and social support. METHODS: We conducted a quasi-experimental pre-/postintervention study with a 6-month follow-up conducted in primary care in Spain. Participants were caregivers of dependent people with dementia. Sociodemographic characteristics and information regarding care tasks were collected using an ad hoc questionnaire. We evaluated the program's effectiveness using the Zarit Burden Interview, EuroQol 5 dimensions 3 levels scale, General Self-Efficacy Scale, Warwik-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale, and Oslo Social Support Scale, validated questionnaires to assess caregiver burden, quality of life, self-efficacy, emotional well-being, and social support. The analysis compared the results of the outcomes at 3 time points (baseline, postintervention, and follow-up). We used multivariate regression to identify characteristics related to improvements produced by the program. RESULTS: The School of Caring program was delivered to 8 groups, comprising 14-19 participants/group, from 2019 to 2023. A total of 132 caregivers completed the program and were evaluated pre-/postintervention, 33 (25%) of whom were lost to follow-up. The program produced significant improvements in all outcomes, which was maintained up to 6 months postintervention. At this stage, inexperienced caregivers showed the greatest improvement compared with former caregivers relative to burden levels. Overall, the amount of time dedicated to caregiving each day and experiencing a health issue were the elements that most significantly affected caregiver burden and quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: The School of Caring program produced notable improvements in the burden and well-being of informal caregivers of dependent people with dementia. The findings provide evidence of the effectiveness of group-based, community primary care programs that support caregivers of people with high care demands such as dependent people with dementia.