Caregivers of family members with dementia are needed for a Case Western Reserve University stress management study.
Researchers are enrolling those who have moved their family member into a care facility within the past 12 months as well as bereaved caregivers whose family member has died within the past year.
Study participants will learn a stress management method that may help to minimize stress and promote health. Participants will also complete three data collection sessions over one year. They will be compensated for their time. Most study activities can be completed remotely. For in-person study activities, research assistants will meet participants at a location convenient to them. Participants do not have to travel to campus at any time.
For over a decade, Dr. Jaclene Zauszniewski, an internationally recognized nurse-scientist and Distinguished Faculty Researcher Award recipient of Case Western Reserve University, and her research team, have learned from caregivers and for caregivers. Her research has one common goal: helping family caregivers to better manage stress and stay healthy.
Their project, funded by the National Institutes of Health, focuses on adult family caregivers of those experiencing a progressive memory problem or dementia such as Alzheimer’s Disease.
“Given the lengthy downward progression of dementia, caregivers are faced with a long-term commitment to providing care, during which they experience seeing a family member transition from independence and self-sufficiency to complete dependency on others in order to have their basic needs met,” Dr. Zauszniewski says.
Caregiving for someone with dementia is comparable to starting a career without prior training, according to the study’s premise. In dementia care, Dr. Zauszniewski describes three discernable milestones, which may or may not happen for all caregivers of persons with dementia.
“These milestones are points of transition during which the stress level of dementia caregivers may peak,” she says. “These transitions include becoming a caregiver for a person with dementia in the home, becoming a care partner with a care facility when unable to care for the person in the home, and becoming a caretaker when the care recipient dies.”
With National Family Caregiver Month approaching in November, the research team hopes to continue to bring awareness and support to caregivers, particularly during transitional times.
To learn more, visit case.edu/nursing/dementia-caregiver-research, go to their Facebook page (Dementia Caregiver Studies at Case Western Reserve University), email [email protected] or call 216-368-8848.
