Stress Management, Education, Efficacy Building in Dyads Coping with Dementia-Related Symptoms (SEEDS)

Abstract

Cognitive deficits and neurobehavioral symptoms are common in both TBI and dementia and cause varying levels of distress for both the person with dementia (PWD) with the disease and their family caregivers. Stress levels have been associated with dysregulation of cortisol and other biopsychological stress markers in both PWDs and caregivers. There is a growing need to explore the interpersonal and psychosocial benefits of an intervention that considers the collective dementia experience for the dyad. This study offers one such attempt by investigating a mindfulness-enhanced, multicomponent dyad intervention, called SEEDS: Stress management, Education, Efficacy-building, in Dyads coping with dementia related Symptoms. Hypotheses: It is hypothesized that participation in the SEEDS intervention will result in significant improvement in quality of life and health for both the PWD and the caregiver. It is also hypothesized that there will be improved regulation of biomarkers of stress in the dyad after participating in the SEEDS intervention. Specific Aims: 1) To evaluate the effectiveness of a mindfulness-enhanced dyad intervention (SEEDS), that also includes dementia care skill-building components, on quality of life in PWDs and their caregivers, 2) To evaluate the effectiveness of SEEDS on improving biomarkers of stress in PWDs and their caregivers. Research Strategy: We propose a prospective pre-post quasi-experimental design trial, enrolling 165 dyads, to evaluate the effectiveness of a mindfulness-enhanced intervention (SEEDS). Participants will be individuals diagnosed with mild or moderate Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Alzheimer's related dementia (ADRD) and their caregivers. Both caregiver and PWD will complete measures of quality of life, mood, health, stress, mindfulness, and compassion pre and post intervention. Stress markers will also be measured in both caregivers and PWD before and after the intervention.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 01, 2021
Accession Number
AD1149828

Entities

People

  • Lauren Hageman
  • Mamta Sapra

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Alzheimer Disease
  • Biological Markers
  • Biomedical Research
  • Brain Diseases
  • Caregivers
  • Clinical Trials
  • Cortisol
  • Dementia
  • Department Of Defense
  • Diseases And Disorders
  • Education
  • Electronic Mail
  • Institutional Review Board
  • Intervention
  • Law
  • Maryland
  • Mindfulness
  • Neurodegeneration
  • Personnel Management
  • Professional Development
  • Quality Of Life
  • Technology Transfer

Fields of Study

  • Psychology

Readers

  • Psychological Intervention/Treatment for Stress, Anxiety, PTSD, and Related Emotional and Cognitive Health Symptoms.
  • Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Cognitive Aging in the Guam and Border Populations Affected by Alzheimer's Disease and Tau-Associated Dementias.