Meeting Centres Support Programme - a 2006 study Nav page here
Update 13 June near foot of page.
Although Dementia Meeting Centres - DMCs - are new in Britain, they have been established in The Netherlands for over ten years.
An edited 2006 multi-centre study describes aspects of interest to us.
Contents
- Introduction
- Carer-characteristics of interest
- Outcomes for carers
- Outcomes for carees
1 Introduction
- Because of the complex nature of the problems that carers of persons with dementia encounter, several comprehensive support programs for carers had been developed in the previous ten years.
- Using comparative techniques involving a carer group within existing services and another carer group within innovative services, it has been possible to point to the beneficial aspects of the latter.
- Assigning titles in the order described, we consider Group 1 [existing services] and Group 2 [innovative services]
2 Carer-characteristics of interest
- Indicators of burden (psychological and psychosomatic symptoms
- Feelings of burden and time between start of support and institutionalization of the persons with dementia)
- Potential determinants of burden (sense of competence, coping strategies, experienced support, loneliness and the emotional impact of behaviour problems)
3 Outcomes for carers
- 82% experienced less burden and more professional support. After seven months
- Carers in Group 2 who felt lonely benefited significantly more than others in Group 1 in terms of psychological and psychosomatic symptoms.
4 Outcomes for carees
- Significantly fewer carees in Group 2 (4%) were institutionalized as compared to those in Group 1 (29%)
- Carees in Group 2 participated for a longer period of time before institutionalization.
5 Forward
Further dissemination of the MCSP is therefore recommended.
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A similar study was published in 2004. The present study was chosen "Because of the small sample and limited power of the [2004] study, and the possible influence of the selection of carers on the study outcome, "
Source - para 7 here. The page is not shown on the Home page links list
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Relevant studies and events since 2006 will be described. Update 13 June - see a start here, another here.
Loneliness occurs in 2.5 and 3.3. See a public page Alone Home page here and follow the book link.
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