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This article describes the results of an educational intervention for family caregivers of persons in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. A total of 45 family caregivers participated in this intervention that consisted of five weekly educational sessions about the disease and aspects of caring for someone in the early stages. Measures of knowledge about Alzheimer's disease, self-efficacy, reactions to patients' memory impairment, and level of depression at pretest and posttest were analyzed. Participants' knowledge about the disease improved substantially, self-efficacy and reactions to patients' impairments improved moderately, and level of depression showed no significant improvement. Results suggest that this intervention has merit for family caregivers coping with the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. Implications for implementation and evaluation are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study evaluated five dementia-specific quality of life (DQOL) measures including client interviews, staff proxies, and observations with 54 clients in three adult day centers. Also, the relationship of cognitive and functional status to each of the DQOL measures was assessed. Client interviews correlated well with each other, but not with other measures. Staff proxies were strongly correlated with each other and moderately correlated with the observational measure. On average, clients rated their DQOL higher than staff. Analyses suggest that functional impairment is associated with poorer DQOL as indicated by staff and observer measures. Possible explanations and implications are explored. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Alzheimer's disease is the most common type of dementia, currently affecting an estimated five million Americans including as many as one million persons who live alone. The numbers of individuals with the disease and those who care for them are expected to grow dramatically in the coming decades. Social workers encountering people with the disease and their families in a variety of settings must be aware of the disease, its effects on individuals and families, and appropriate resources. This article provides an overview of the medical, social and psychological aspects of the disease. Common challenges of individuals with the disease are illustrated through the case of a woman living alone in the community who was helped to maintain her quality of life through psychotherapy and a variety of supportive services. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]