The Effects Of Nostalgic Therapy On Family Care-giving Experience Of Senile Dementia Patients’ Spouses

BackgroundSenile dementia is a kind of neurodegenerative disease.Following gradually declining mentality and physical ability,the patients with senile dementia eventually will need to be completely cared by others.Senile dementia will last for 15 years to the maximum and averagely 8 to 10 years.Currently,the care-giving for the patients with senile dementia is mainly from family caring.Family caring is advocated and implemented even in American though it has perfect community service system.So,caring experience is particularly important under the condition of long-term care-giving.ObjectiveBy conducting non-structured interviews for spouse caregivers of patients with senile dementia and understanding their family situations,our study investigates the effects of individual reminiscence therapy on the family burden,positive feelings and subjective well-being of spouse caregivers of patients with senile dementia and provides a scientific basis for a better development of a long term home care of patients with senile dementia in community.MethodPatients with senile dementia definitely diagnosed at a mental health center of a city and in two municipal districts of the city with more complete communities are selected.A total of 92 pairs of patients and their spouses in line with the condition were enrolled.Using the municipal district as a unit,the number of people was coded according to a sequence and then the 92 study subjects were randomly divided into an intervention group and a control group according to a picking method.There were 46 pairs in the intervention group and the control group respectively.There were no statistically significant differences in the general information between the two groups.The intervention group was subjected to a reminiscence therapy intervention measures with once a week,each of 45-60 minutes,and a total of 8 weeks.The control group was subjected to a conventional health education.General information questionnaire,Zarit Caregiver Burden Interview(ZBI)scale,Positive Aspects of Caregiving(PAC)scale and Memorial University Newfoudland Scale of Happiness(MUNSH)were used to conduct investigation.Re-evaluation has been made on the first day,the 30 th day,the 90 th day and the 180 th day after intervention for 8 week concerning the burden for taking care of patients with senile dementia,the positive feelings and the happiness degree of the spouses of patients with senile dementia who have been looking after the patients.All the quantized data were input into a computer to establish a database.SPSS17.0 software package was used for statistical processing and analysis.Descriptive statistics conducted t-test,analysis of variance,Pearson correlation analysis and other statistical analysis for the data.Results(1)General information: there were no significant differences in the age,sex,marital status,ethnicity,education level,perceived health status,monthly family income,care providing time,continuing caring time,marital relations,patient’s age and other general information of subjects in the two groups(P >0.05),showing the comparability.(2)Caring burden: there was no statistically significant difference in the ZBI score of the spouse caregivers of senile dementia patients between the two groups before intervention while there existed a statistically significant difference in the ZBI score of the spouse caregivers of senile dementia patients between the two groups after the intervention(P<0.01).Two groups of carers ZBI score,respectively in intervention for 8 weeks after the end of day 1,the 30 days,90 days,180 days,the difference showed was statistically significant(P<0.01).(3)Positive feelings: there was no statistically significant difference in the PAC score of the spouse caregivers of senile dementia patients between the two groups before intervention while there existed a statistically significant difference in the PAC score of the spouse caregivers of senile dementia patients between the two groups after the intervention(P<0.01).Two groups of PAC score(total score and positive factor and negative factor score),respectively in intervention for 8 weeks after the end of day 1,the 30 days,90 days,180 days,the difference showed was statistically significant(P<0.01).(4)Happiness degree: there was no statistically significant difference in the MUNSH score of the spouse caregivers of senile dementia patients between the two groups before intervention while there existed a statistically significant difference in the MUNSH score of the spouse caregivers of senile dementia patients between the two groups after the intervention(P<0.01).The happiness degree scores(total score,self-affirmation dimension and life outlook dimension score),respectively in intervention for 8 weeks after the end of day 1,the 30 days,90 days,180 days,the difference showed was statistically significant(P<0.01).(5)The correlation analysis showed that the caregiver perceived health status,family income,care providing time,continuous care time,marital relations and other factors were significantly correlated with the caregiver burden,caregiver positive feelings and happiness scores(P <0.05).ConclusionBy implementing the reminiscence therapy intervention for spouse caregivers of senile dementia patients,the physical and mental health of caregivers can be effectively maintained,the positive feelings of caregivers are increased,the subjective senses of well-being of caregivers are enhanced,the family care burdens of the spouse caregivers of senile dementia patients are reduced,the caring quality is ensured,and the burden of social old age support is reduced.Our study provides a theoretical basis for supportive interventions of senile dementia family care.