Feasibility of a multidimensional interdisciplinary rehabilitation program for people with dementia and their informal primary caregivers - a randomized pilot trial with a caregiver focus.
5 affiliations
- 1Department of Community Medicine and Rehabilitation, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden. [email protected].
- 2Department of Nursing, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
- 3Department of Diagnostics and Intervention, Orthopedics, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
- 4Department of Epidemiology and Global Health, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
- 5Department of Community Medicine and Rehabilitation, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Abstract
Background
To improve the situation of informal caregivers, both supportive efforts for caregiver and rehabilitation for the person with dementia, may be needed. This randomized controlled pilot trial evaluated, among caregivers, the feasibility of a person-centred multidimensional interdisciplinary rehabilitation program for community-dwelling people with dementia that incorporated an education and support intervention for informal caregivers.Methods
Informal caregivers were randomized alongside the person with dementia to an intervention group (n=36) or usual care (n=31). Multiprofessional team rehabilitation for individuals with dementia and support for caregivers, were offered for one 20-week and two 4-week follow-up periods after 5 and 14 months. Caregivers were offered assessments, participation in group sessions, and individual support. After the last group session, scheduled during the last four weeks of the 20-week period, a survey was distributed. Attendance at group sessions and uptake of individual support were recorded. Blinded assessments of caregiver burden (Caregiver Burden Scale, CBS), depressive symptoms (Geriatric Depression Scale 15-item version, GDS) and health-related quality of life (Short Form 36-Health Survey, SF-36), were performed at baseline and after 5, 12, 24, and 36 months.Results
Thirty-seven participants (56%) were spouses and 26 (39%) were adult children. Participation rate in assessments of outcomes at 36 months was 100% and 87% for intervention and control group in GDS and SF-36, respectively, and 69% and 61% for CBS, respectively. Missing data were primarily due to mortality. All caregivers in the intervention group (n=36) were assessed, and all received individual interventions by team staff. Twenty-three caregivers attended group sessions, and 21 completed a survey after the last session. Twenty (95%) caregivers reported increased knowledge about supporting the person with dementia, and 19 (90%) improved coping strategies. No significant differences were observed between groups in depressive symptoms or caregiver burden, yet differences in favour of the control group were seen in subscales of health-related quality of life at 24 and 36 months.Conclusions
The program, combining rehabilitation for the person with dementia with caregiver support, seems feasible regarding caregivers' participation in the intervention and study evaluation, and thus further evaluation in an adequately powered randomized controlled trial seems relevant. A future definitive trial should evaluate continuous support over a longer period adapted to the caregiver and refine assessment procedures, including conducting assessments during ongoing interventions to provide greater insights into rehabilitation and caregiver-support effects.Trial registration
The study protocol is published online 04/11/2015 at http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN59155421.
Related
- Feasibility and acceptability of a randomized controlled trial of a patient-centred transition program for stroke survivors and their caregivers—P-NAVISTROKE study
- Feasibility and safety of early bedside personalized rehabilitation in acute decompensated heart failure: a pilot randomized trial
- Feasibility, Safety, and Preliminary Efficacy of Partnered Rhythmic Rehabilitation in Prodromal Alzheimer's Disease: A 12-Month Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial
- Feasibility of an interdisciplinary primary care-based intervention to improve care transitions for hospitalized patients with substance use disorders: The IntACT pilot randomized controlled trial protocol
- Feasibility and Acceptability of Videoconference-Based Family Psychoeducation for Young Adult Caregivers of Family Members With Major Depressive Disorder: Protocol for a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.
BibTeX
@article{conradsson2026feasibility,
title = {{Feasibility of a multidimensional interdisciplinary rehabilitation program for people with dementia and their informal primary caregivers - a randomized pilot trial with a caregiver focus.}},
author = {Mia Conradsson and Birgitta Olofsson and Henrik Holmberg and Nina Lindelöf and Ingeborg Nilsson and Yngve Gustafson and Håkan Littbrand},
journal = {BMC geriatrics},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1186/s12877-026-08532-1},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42907949},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Feasibility of a multidimensional interdisciplinary rehabilitation program for people with dementia and their informal primary caregivers - a randomized pilot trial with a caregiver focus.
AU - Mia Conradsson
AU - Birgitta Olofsson
AU - Henrik Holmberg
AU - Nina Lindelöf
AU - Ingeborg Nilsson
AU - Yngve Gustafson
AU - Håkan Littbrand
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/21
JO - BMC geriatrics
DO - 10.1186/s12877-026-08532-1
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42907949
AB - Background To improve the situation of informal caregivers, both supportive efforts for caregiver and rehabilitation for the person with dementia, may be needed. This randomized controlled pilot trial evaluated, among caregivers, the feasibility of a person-centred multidimensional interdisciplinary rehabilitation program for community-dwelling people with dementia that incorporated an education and support intervention for informal caregivers.Methods Informal caregivers were randomized alongside the person with dementia to an intervention group (n=36) or usual care (n=31). Multiprofessional team rehabilitation for individuals with dementia and support for caregivers, were offered for one 20-week and two 4-week follow-up periods after 5 and 14 months. Caregivers were offered assessments, participation in group sessions, and individual support. After the last group session, scheduled during the last four weeks of the 20-week period, a survey was distributed. Attendance at group sessions and uptake of individual support were recorded. Blinded assessments of caregiver burden (Caregiver Burden Scale, CBS), depressive symptoms (Geriatric Depression Scale 15-item version, GDS) and health-related quality of life (Short Form 36-Health Survey, SF-36), were performed at baseline and after 5, 12, 24, and 36 months.Results Thirty-seven participants (56%) were spouses and 26 (39%) were adult children. Participation rate in assessments of outcomes at 36 months was 100% and 87% for intervention and control group in GDS and SF-36, respectively, and 69% and 61% for CBS, respectively. Missing data were primarily due to mortality. All caregivers in the intervention group (n=36) were assessed, and all received individual interventions by team staff. Twenty-three caregivers attended group sessions, and 21 completed a survey after the last session. Twenty (95%) caregivers reported increased knowledge about supporting the person with dementia, and 19 (90%) improved coping strategies. No significant differences were observed between groups in depressive symptoms or caregiver burden, yet differences in favour of the control group were seen in subscales of health-related quality of life at 24 and 36 months.Conclusions The program, combining rehabilitation for the person with dementia with caregiver support, seems feasible regarding caregivers' participation in the intervention and study evaluation, and thus further evaluation in an adequately powered randomized controlled trial seems relevant. A future definitive trial should evaluate continuous support over a longer period adapted to the caregiver and refine assessment procedures, including conducting assessments during ongoing interventions to provide greater insights into rehabilitation and caregiver-support effects.Trial registration The study protocol is published online 04/11/2015 at http://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN59155421.
SN - 1471-2318
ER -