Psychological Counseling Program for Alzheimer's Patients' Caregivers

The Effect of Psychological Counseling Program (PsychoCP) for Alzheimer's Patients' Caregivers on Perceived Stress, Psychological Well-Being and Caregiver Burden

Purpose: To investigate the effects of a psychological counseling program (PsychoCP) applied to caregivers of Alzheimer's patients on perceived stress, psychological well-being and care burden.

Design: The study will be conducted in a pre-test post-test control group, randomized controlled experimental research design.

Method: The study is planned to be carried out in Bağcılar Municipality Vefahâne Life Center, Antalya Alzheimer Patients and Patient Relatives Meeting Center and Osmaniye Family and Social Policies Directorate. The sample of the study will consist of 80 caregivers. They will be assigned to intervention (n=40) and control groups (n=40) by randomization.

Hypotheses Hypothesis1: The perceived stress level of caregivers who received PsychoDP is lower than those who did not receive PsychoCP.

Hypothesis2: The psychological well-being levels of caregivers who received PsychoDP are higher than those who did not receive PsychoCP.

Hypothesis3: The care burden of caregivers who received PsychoDP is lower than those who did not receive PsychoCP.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Providing informal care to an individual with mild or moderate Alzheimer's disease
• Being a primary caregiver
• Providing care to the patient for at least six months
• Providing care to the patient for at least six hours per day
• Being literate
• Being able to speak and understand Turkish
• Being 18 years of age or older
• Being willing and able to participate in the study

Exclusion Criteria:

• Not being able to understand questions and express ideas
• Having a psychiatric disorder
• Not receiving any therapy services during the study