Skip to main content
GSA 2024 Main banner
Icon Legend
This session is not in your schedule.
This session is in your schedule. Click again to remove it.
Back
Symposium

Behavioral and Social Sciences

Evaluation of Programs and Services for Caregivers of People Living with Dementia

Saturday, November 16, 2024
12:00 PM – 1:30 PM PST
Location: Room 213
CE: 1.5

    Chair(s)

  • LS

    Lauren Stratton, PhD

    Senior Associate Director, Psychosocial Research & Program Evaluation
    Mission Engagement
    Alzheimer's Association
    Chicago, Illinois, United States

    • Discussant(s)

  • Sam Fazio, PhD, FGSA

    Vice President, Care and Support Programs and Research
    Quality Care and Pyschosocial Research
    Alzheimer's Association
    Chicago, Illinois, United States

    • Individual Symposium Abstract First Author(s)

  • KJ

    Katherine Judge, PhD (she/her/hers)

    Professor of Psychology
    Department of Psychology
    Cleveland State University
    Cleveland, Ohio, United States

  • CG

    Claire Grant, MA (she/her/hers)

    Graduate Student
    Psychology
    Cleveland State University
    Cleveland, Ohio, United States

  • Nancy Hodgson, PhD, RN, FAAN (she/her/hers)

    Claire M. Fagin Leadership Professor in Nursing
    Department of Biobehavioral Health Science
    University of Pennsylvania
    Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

The majority of care provided to people living with dementia is from family or informal caregivers. There is currently a lack of evidence-based programs and services that are available online or virtually to informal caregivers. This symposium consists of three studies, including the evaluation of two programs and the 24/7 Helpline that are available to informal caregivers of people living with dementia through the Alzheimer’s Association. The novel findings presented in this symposium will focus on the full impact these programs and services have on caregivers and address the gap in evidence-based programming. First, Judge will discuss the evaluation of a new program, The Empowered Caregiver, which highlights positive efficacy and acceptability data. Second, Grant will present the results of an evaluation for both an online and virtual program, Managing Money: A Caregiver’s Guide to Finances. Lastly, Hodgson will discuss three iterative studies that evaluated the Alzheimer’s Association 24/7 Helpline, which provides 24/7 support over the phone, including care consultations. Fazio will serve as the discussant to draw attention to current gaps in caregiving intervention literature, the importance of evidence-based programs and services, and the future direction of these programs. Together, these studies contribute to our understanding of effective and accessible programs and services for caregivers.

Learning Objectives:

  • After attending the session, participants will be able to describe the Empowered Caregiver and Managing Money programs along with findings from the RCT and program acceptability data.
  • After attending the session, participants will be able to describe why evidence-based interventions are needed for caregivers of persons living with dementia.

Presentations:

  • 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM PST
    The Empowered Caregiver: A Scalable and Pragmatic Evidence-Based Program for Dementia Caregivers

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Katherine S. Judge, PhD (she/her/hers) – Cleveland State University

  • 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM PST
    The Need for Pragmatic Programming for Caregivers: Evidence From Managing Money: A Caregiver's Guide to Finances

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Claire Grant, MA (she/her/hers) – Cleveland State University

  • 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM PST
    Evaluating the Impact of the Alzheimer's Association Helpline

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Nancy Hodgson, PhD, RN, FAAN (she/her/hers) – University of Pennsylvania