The Effect of Participation in Support Group on Quality of Life in Family Caregivers of People with Alzheimer’s Disease: A Randomized Clinical Trail

Authors: Fatemeh Bahramnezhad, Farshad Sharifi , Fahimeh Taati, Naima Seyedfatemi, Elham Navab

Abstract

This study sought to determine the effect of participation in support group on quality of life in family caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease . The present randomized clinical controlled was conducted on80 family caregivers of people with Alzheimer’s disease. The intervention group participated in eight sessions 1.5- 2 hours in support groups. The tool used in this study was the quality of life, the SF-36 tool for measuring  quality of life the caregivers. Analysis of parametric data was using SPSS version 21.The findings showed that, except "the role of physical limitations" in the control group that showed a significant difference, there was no statistically significant difference in total score and other aspects of quality of life before and after intervention in the control group. The results of this study showed that, participation in the support groups can have a positive effect on the quality of life of Alzheimer patients' caregivers. Providing support and educational programs for the caregivers, can facilitate home care with acceptable quality for Alzheimer patients, and reduce the cost of care for these patients.

Keywords: Support group, Quality of life, family caregivers, Alzheimer’s disease