Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Evaluation Of A Telephone-Based Support Group Intervention For Female Caregivers Of Community-Dwelling Individuals With Dementia, Laraine Winter, Laura N. Gitlin

Center for Applied Research on Aging and Health Research Papers

Family caregivers, the "second victims" or hidden patients in dementia care, are at risk for social isolation, stress, depression, and mortality. Telephone-based support (telesupport groups) represents a practical, low-burden, low-cost source of emotional support. The present study evaluated the feasibility and effectiveness of professionally led telephone-based support groups for female family caregivers of community-dwelling dementia patients. Recruited through various community sources, 103 female caregivers were randomized to the telesupport group treatment or a control condition. Effects on caregiver burden, depression, and personal gains were evaluated at 6 months, the main end point. Older caregivers (≥65) in telesupport reported lower depression …

Mild Cognitive Impairment, Activity Participation, Functional Difficulty, & Adaptations , Laraine Winter, Laura N. Gitlin

Center for Applied Research on Aging and Health Research Papers

No abstract provided.

Current Health And Preferences For Life-Prolonging Treatments: An Application Of Prospect Theory To End-Of-Life Decision Making, Laraine Winter, Barbara Parker

Center for Applied Research on Aging and Health Research Papers

No abstract provided.

Mild Cognitive Impairment, Activity Participation, Functional Difficulty, And Adaptations In Functionally Vulnerable Elderly People: A Closer Look, Laraine Winter, Laura N. Gitlin

Center for Applied Research on Aging and Health Research Papers

No abstract provided.

A Randomized Trial Of A Multicomponent Home Intervention To Reduce Functional Difficulties In Older Adults, Laura N. Gitlin, Laraine Winter, Marie P. Dennis, Mary Corcoran, Walter W. Hauck

Center for Applied Research on Aging and Health Research Papers

OBJECTIVES: To test the efficacy of a multicomponent intervention to reduce functional difficulties, fear of falling, and home hazards and enhance self-efficacy and adaptive coping in older adults with chronic conditions.

DESIGN: A prospective, two-group, randomized trial. Participants were randomized to a treatment group or no-treatment group.

SETTING: Urban community-living older people.

PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred nineteen community-living adults aged 70 and older who reported difficulty with one or more activities of daily living.

INTERVENTION: Occupational and physical therapy sessions involving home modifications and training in their use; instruction in strategies of problem-solving, energy conservation, safe performance, and fall recovery techniques; …

Data And Safety Monitoring In Social Behavioral Intervention Trials: The Reach Ii Experience, Sara J. Czaja, Richard Schulz, Steven H. Belle, Louis D. Burgio, Nell Armstrong, Laura N. Gitlin, David W. Coon, Jennifer Martindale-Adams, Julie Klinger, Sidney M. Stahl

Center for Applied Research on Aging and Health Research Papers

Background Psychosocial and behavioral interventions trials targeting a broad range of complex social and behavioral problems such as smoking, obesity and family caregiving have proliferated in the past 30 years. At the same time the use of Data and Safety Monitoring Boards (DSMBs) to monitor the progress and quality of intervention trials and the safety of study participants has increased substantially. Most of the existing literature and guidelines for safety monitoring and reporting of adverse events focuses on medical interventions. Consequently, there is little guidance for investigators conducting social and behavior trials.

Purpose This paper summarizes how issues associated with …