The Savvy Caregiver Program: A Probe Multicenter Randomized Controlled Pilot Trial in Caregivers of Patients Affected by Alzheimer’s Disease

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Sepe-Monti, Micaela^a | Vanacore, Nicola^b | Bartorelli, Luisa^c | Tognetti, Alessandra^d | Giubilei, Franco^{a; *} | Caregiver Study Group Savvy¹

Affiliations: [a] Saint Andrew Hospital, NESMOS Department, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy | [b] National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy | [c] Rome Foundation and Alzheimer Uniti Association, Rome, Italy | [d] Saint Eugene Hospital, Rome, Italy

Correspondence: [*] Correspondence to: Franco Giubilei, PhD, Saint Andrew Hospital, Sapienza University, via di Grottarossa 1035-1039, 00189 Rome, Italy. Tel.: +39 0633775435; Fax: +39 0633775272; E-mail: franco.giubilei@uniroma1.it.

Note: [1] Savvy Caregiver Study Group: Silvia Ragni, Edoardo Brutti, Federica Vilella (Fondazione Roma Sanità, Rome, Italy); Virginia Cipollini, Antonella De Carolis, Francesco Della Gatta (Ospedale Policlinico Sant’Andrea, Università Sapienza, Rome, Italy); Silvia Bernardi, Giuseppe Bruno, Luisa Cesario, Marina Gasparini, Emanuela Messina, Concetta Mina, Massimiliano Prencipe (Policlinico “Umberto I”, Università Sapienza, Rome, Italy); Patrizia Monini (Ospedale Sant’Eugenio, Rome, Italy); Anna Rosa Casini, Michele Questa (Ospedale San Giovanni Addolorata, Rome, Italy); Maria Immacolata Cozzolino, Cinzia Romiti (ASL RMF, Civitavecchia, Italy); Carlo Blundo (Ospedale San Camillo, Rome, Italy); Enrico Nicolò, Sabina Roncacci, Alessandro Stefanini (Azienda Ospedaliera Rieti, UOC Neurologia, Rieti, Italy); Elisa Quarchioni (Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Rome, Italy).

Abstract: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a major cause of disability in the elderly, leading to a considerable burden on caregivers and high costs to society. Psycho-education programs such as the Savvy Caregiver Program (SCP) are reported to be a successful means of reducing caregivers’ distress through various intervention strategies. The aim of the present study was to assess the efficacy of the SCP in reducing the burden and psychological symptoms in caregivers of AD patients and to analyze the coping strategies adopted by the caregivers. The study was designed as a multicenter, randomized, controlled, pilot clinical trial. One hundred and sixty-four caregivers of patients with probable AD were randomized. The SCP was structured in six, weekly, two-hour sessions. All the clinical scales were administered before treatment, two weeks and six months after treatment. Caregivers in the SCP group displayed better coping strategies adopted to positive attitudes, and they tended to be less anxious and less depressed than those in the control group. However, caregiver burden levels were not reduced in SCP caregivers. The patients of SCP caregivers received a lower number of new prescriptions of neuroleptics during the 6 months of follow-up than the patients of control caregivers and apathy was the neuropsychiatric symptom that improved most as a result of the SCP. The results of this study suggest that the SCP may improve coping strategies of caregivers of people affected by AD, influencing their psychological symptoms and those of their patients.

Keywords: Alzheimer’s disease, caregivers, coping skills, dementia

DOI: 10.3233/JAD-160235

Journal: Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 54, no. 3, pp. 1235-1246, 2016