Perceived health and working life in caregivers from nursing homes that used or did not use nighttime personalized non-pharmacological therapies to address residents' behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia.

• Behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are frequent in residents with dementia • BPSD are detrimental to caregivers' working life and health • Nighttime personalized non-pharmacological therapies (PNPT) are useful to handle BPSD • Perceived health and working life were improved in caregivers from long term care homes which used nighttime PNPT Dementia is frequent in nursing home (NH), affecting between 40 and 50 % of the residents and is associated in 90 % of the cases with behavioral and psychological symptoms (BPSD) which are detrimental to caregivers' working life and perceived health. We compared perceived health and working life between NHs that used or did not use nighttime personalized non-pharmacological therapies (PNPT) to address BPSD. This anonymous survey included 96 caregivers from 25 NHs which used (n = 69) or not (n = 27) nighttime PNPT. Perceived health, nursing and medical care, quality of care and internal motivation were significantly higher, stress symptoms and workload were significantly lower and there was a tendency to enhanced satisfaction with work in caregivers from NHs which used nighttime PNPT. Our present data open a new window on the benefits of PNPT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]