An empowerment program for family caregivers of people with dementia

Objectives: Family caregivers of people with dementia (PWD) often feel powerless and experience decreased well-being. Our aim was to develop an intervention program based on the caregiver empowerment model (CEM) and apply it with the Korean caregivers to evaluate its effects. Design and Sample: The study population comprised 115 family caregivers (experimental group, n = 35, control group 1, n = 40, control group 2, n = 40). Methods: Using an experimental design with two control groups. The experimental group received a 12-week program including intensive counseling, education, and telephone calls. The control group 1 (CG1) received usual service. The control group 2 (CG2) was provided with a handbook during the first week. A mixed-effects model was used to clarify longitudinal changes in participants' outcomes. Results: The experimental group showed significantly increased caregiving appraisal (effect size in CG1 = −7.25; CG2 = −5.63), caregiving attitude (CG1 = −21.47; CG2 = −17.79), self-efficacy (CG1 = −12.42; CG2 = −10.12), and well-being (CG1 = −4.33; CG2 = −2.35) after the program. Conclusions: The empowerment program can be used to promote family caregivers' positive adaptation and to help caregivers who care for PWD to effectively cope with their problems.