The article below is from Kaiser Permanente Research Institute which discusses an innovative research program designed to support caregivers – a badly needed initiative especially for caregivers of those afflicted with dementia.
An older man teared up as he told Linda Teri, PhD, how much better his wife was recently feeling—and acting:
“I get to see her smile again, and that’s what made me fall in love with her in the first place!”
Only weeks earlier, the couple had been locked in bitter conflict. With Alzheimer’s, the woman had been sad, anxious, angry, and agitated. Her husband, feeling overwhelmed, doubted he could continue caring for her. He’d reluctantly planned to move her out of their house and into an assisted living facility.
What changed?
The man took the STAR-C caregiver training developed by Dr. Linda Teri and Sue McCurry, PhD. They’re both Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute (KPWHRI) affiliate investigators. And they’re both based at the University of Washington (UW) School of Nursing, where Dr. McCurry is a research professor and vice chair of research and Dr. Teri is a professor who directs the Northwest Roybal Center for Translational Research in Aging.
The training’s name, Staff Training in Assisted-living Residences (STAR)-Caregivers (C), tells its history: initially developed for, and validated in, assisted-living staff—and then adapted for family members, usually spouses or adult children, caring for people with dementia.