The effects of student home visits on activity engagement in persons with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5055/ajrt.2011.0023Keywords:
Alzheimer’s disease, caregiver stress, engagement, partnered volunteering, dementia, activity engagementAbstract
Purpose: To examine the effects of activity setup and student home visits on level of engagement in participants with Alzheimer’s disease and related disorders (ADRD) and on caregivers’ stress and confidence.
Method: Participants in the Intervention group (N = 16) were matched to those in the Comparison group (N = 16). Participants and caregivers in the Intervention group received intervention over 8 weeks, whereas the Comparison group received activity selection and setup only.
Results: Activity setup and cognitive aids promoted high levels of physical and verbal engagement in both groups. Persons with relatively less cognitive impairment were significantly more likely to engage in activity with adaptation and setup only. Compared with caregivers who did not receive student visits, caregivers with student support reported significant reductions in burden.
Conclusions: Activity setup and student home visits may be most beneficial to the caregiver to reduce stress while sustaining home activity for the individual with ADRD.
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