Effects of an Interdisciplinary Programme on Psychoemotional Factors in Informal Caregivers of People with Alzheimer's Disease

LAURA Muñoz-Bermejo ¹ Javier Urbano-Mairena ^1* Violeta Calle-Guisado ² Cristina Mendoza- Holgado ¹ María Del Rocío Jerez-Barroso ¹ Belén Suárez Lantarón ^3,4 José Francisco López-Gil ^5* Sabina Barrios Fernández ¹

• ¹ Social Impact and Innovation in Health (InHEALTH) Research Group, University Centre of Mérida, University of Extremadura, Mérida, Spain
• ² Department of Anatomy, Cell Biology and Zoology, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Extremadura, Badajoz, Spain
• ³ University of Extremadura, Badajoz, Spain
• ⁴ Education Sciences Department, Faculty of Education, University of Extremadura, Badajoz, Spain
• ⁵ Universidad de las Américas, Quito, Ecuador

Alzheimer's disease (AD) causes a progressive deterioration in the person's memory and cognitive function, leading to a greater degree of dependency as the disease progresses. This causes a progressive increase in caregiver overload, leading to physical, psychological, and social impairments. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a nine-month interdisciplinary intervention covering three areas (cognitive-behavior, psycho-emotional, and physical activity) on various psycho-emotional variables in informal caregivers of people with AD. A trial was conducted in which 59 informal caregivers of people with AD were administered various instruments to assess psychoemotional aspects (EQ-5D-3L quality of life, Zarit Burden Inventory test, Satisfaction with Life Scale, General Happiness Questionnaire, Occupational Balance Questionnaire, Rosenberg Self-eesteem Sscale, Duke-UNC-11 Functional Social Support Questionnaire, and the Family Apgar Scale). Significant between-group improvements were obtained in occupational balance at 3 (p<0.002), 6 (p<0.013) and 9 months (p<0.022) of intervention, in perceived social support at 3 months (p<0.043) and satisfaction with life at 6 months (p<0.02). No significant between-group differences were found in the remaining variables, although there were positive trends in intra-group scores for caregiver overload, quality of life, life satisfaction and family functioning. Thus, an interdisciplinary programme could have a positive influence on the variables assessed in informal caregivers of AD.