Background: This study in rural Spain evaluated the effectiveness of a program called the School of Caring, a nine-session weekly group program for informal caregivers of people with dementia. The program combined dementia education, psychological support, and guidance on community resources for 132 informal caregivers. Researchers examined outcomes of burden, quality of life, well-being, self-efficacy, and social support at three time points over nine months.
What They Found: The program produced significant improvements across all measured outcomes immediately after the intervention, with effects sustained at six months. Caregivers new to the role (less than one year) benefited most and continued improving during follow-up. Key factors associated with greater burden included having a personal health problem and spending more hours per day caregiving.
Implications: The findings support integrating structured, multidisciplinary caregiver support programs into routine primary care.
Multicomponent School of Caring Program to Support Caregivers of Patients With Dementia: A Quasi-Experimental Effectiveness Study in Primary Care
Corresponding author: Macarena Pozo Ariza, PhD, et al
Unitat de Suport a la Recerca Terres de l'Ebre, Fundació Institut Universitari per a la Recerca en Atenció Primària de Salut Jordi Gol i Gurina (IDIAPJGol), Tortosa, Spain
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