A Home-based Training Program for Elderly Patients With Dementia

Establishment and Effectiveness of a Community-based Long-term Care Model for Elderly Persons With Dementia

The illness course and symptoms of dementia is usually very long and characterized with behavioral, psychological and physical changes. Family caregivers' stresses change during the illness trajectory as well. The purpose of this study is to compare the costs and effectiveness of two care models- home-based caregiver-training program model and routine care model for dementia elders in Taiwan.

The illness course and symptoms of dementia is usually very long and characterized with behavioral, psychological and physical changes. Family caregivers' stresses change during the illness trajectory as well. Thus, the needs of the elderly persons with dementia and their family caregivers differ in different stage of dementia, and the services they require are multidimensional. According to the researchers' previous 2-year study, behavioral problem management and service utilization were found to be the most difficult and least prepared caregiving activities and the family caregiver's needs for assistance of these two caregiving activities differed in different stage of dementia.The purpose of this study is to compare the costs and effectiveness of two care models- home-based caregiver-training program model and routine care model for dementia elders in Taiwan.

Inclusion Criteria:(patients)

• diagnosed with dementia by a psychiatrist or neurologist
• Age 65 years or older
• living in a community of northern Taiwan
• living in a home setting
• scored >50 on the Chinese version Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CMAI).

Exclusion Criteria:(patients)

• diagnosed with critical illness.

Inclusion Criteria:(caregivers)

• Primary caregiving responsibility and be at least 20 years old.

Exclusion Criteria:(caregivers)

• diagnosed with critical illness.