Caregiver-assisted Pain Coping Skills Training for Dementia Pilot Study

Summary

The purpose of the study is to develop a caregiver-assisted pain coping skills training program for older adults who have pain and mild to moderate dementia and are living at home with a family caregiver. The investigators are planning to recruit 30 patient-caregiver dyads (60 individuals).

Detailed description

Involving caregivers in a pain coping skills protocol is likely to optimize treatment outcomes in several ways. First, people with dementia (PWD) are likely to have difficulty learning and remembering pain coping skills; training the caregiver to coach the patient in the use of the skills is likely to improve the patients' acquisition and ongoing use of learned skills. Second, caregiver involvement in pain coping skills training may increase their understanding of how to gauge how much pain the PWD is experiencing and the impact of pain management strategies. This understanding is increasingly important as the patient's disease progresses, and s/he is less able to report pain verbally. Third, caregiver-assisted pain management training may enhance caregivers' self-confidence for managing the patient's pain. Finally, by participating in the pain coping skills training protocol, caregivers may learn coping skills (such as relaxation) that can help them manage the stress associated with caring for a PWD and pain which can be significant.

Arms & interventions

• BehavioralCaregiver-Assisted Pain Coping Skills Training (CG-PCST)

  Patient-caregiver dyads will receive five, forty-to-sixty-minute sessions over a six-to-eight-week period with a therapist to learn pain coping skills. These include training caregivers in strategies for assessing patient pain, including nonverbal pain behaviors (e.g., grimacing, bodily tension, labored breathing), which will become increasingly important as the patient's ability to express pain verbally decreases. The therapist will also train the caregiver to coach the patient in the use of the skills during activities that are challenging because of pain. We will focus on increasing positive patient-caregiver interactions and patient engagement in valued activities. Throughout the training, the therapist will help the patient and caregiver learn strategies for fostering regular home practice and application of the skills, identify challenges in using the skills, and find strategies for coping with challenges.

Outcome measures

Eligibility criteria