Pilot trial of the Florida-Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer's Caregiver Health (FL-REACH) intervention in an outpatient memory disorders clinic.

OBJECTIVES

Translation of the foundational REACH II intervention for caregivers of persons with Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) into practice has been limited. Most interventions generally focus on later-stage caregiving. The FL-REACH intervention was adapted from REACH II, addressing issues of implementation burden and shifting focus to prolonging in-home care through intervention delivered soon after diagnosis. Goals of this single-arm pilot study were to examine effectiveness of a six-session intervention delivered through an outpatient memory disorders clinic to caregivers of those diagnosed with mild to moderate stage memory disorders.

METHOD: Dementia caregivers were recruited from the AdventHealth Maturing Minds Program. The COVID-19 pandemic compelled transition of the intervention delivery from the clinic environment to online.

RESULTS

Dementia knowledge, caregiver burden, and caregiver preparedness all improved from baseline to post-treatment. Participants who completed the intervention online were disproportionately male, and more socioeconomically and ethnically diverse than those who completed the intervention in person.

CONCLUSION

Results support use of the FL-REACH intervention program and suggest that memory disorders clinics create a valuable opportunity for enrollment in dementia caregiver interventions that provide training and skills development early in the disease trajectory.