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Abstract. Tele.TAnDem is a telephone-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) intervention for dementia caregivers which incorporates resource activation as a superordinate heuristic. We investigated whether Tele.TAnDem increased the utilization of psychosocial resources in dementia caregivers. To this end, 273 dementia caregivers were randomly assigned to receive the Tele.TAnDem intervention (n = 139) or usual care (n = 134). Compared to the control group, at posttest caregivers in the intervention group had utilized more resources related to well-being and coping with daily hassles. Treatment effects on the utilization of resources related to social support were only marginally significantly greater at posttest for caregivers with higher baseline resource utilization. Treatment effects were not maintained at 6-month follow-up. Results indicate that Tele.TAnDem can successfully activate the psychosocial resources of dementia caregivers.

The present study examined the effects of a telephone-based cognitive behavioral intervention on dementia caregivers' quality of life (QoL). A total of 273 caregivers were randomly assigned to an intervention or control group. The intervention comprised 12 telephone sessions of individual cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) over 6 months. At baseline, postintervention, and 6-month follow-up, QoL was assessed with the World Health Organization QoL-BREF, which measures perceived QoL for the domains physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment as well as overall QoL and satisfaction with general health. Intention-to-treat analyses using latent change models were performed. At postintervention, intervention group participants reported better overall QoL and satisfaction with general health as well as better physical and psychological health compared to control group participants. Together with existing evidence, the results suggest that the telephone CBT intervention does not only reduce impairments but also fosters improvements in health-related QoL.

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BackgroundPeople with dementia (PwD) experience a range of negative behavioral and psychological symptoms which can lower their quality of life. Because of the increasing prevalence of dementia, interventions that maintain and enhance the quality of life for PwD are needed. Listening to individualized music constitutes a promising non-pharmacological intervention for PwD. However, despite some preliminary results, evidence regarding the effectiveness of such interventions has been mixed and previous studies have shown a number of methodological limitations. In a randomized controlled trial, we address the limitations of previous research and assess the feasibility, efficacy, and acceptability of an individualized music intervention for PwD living in a nursing home.MethodsResidents with dementia from four to five nursing homes in Germany will be randomly assigned to either an intervention or control group. The intervention group will listen to personally-relevant music for 20 min every other day for six weeks. Nursing staff will assess participants’ quality of life and problem behavior at the six-week baseline, pretest, posttest, and at the six-week follow-up. Additionally, the participants’ behavior will be observed during the intervention period by project staff. The implementation, acceptance, and applicability of the intervention will also be evaluated.DiscussionThe study results will show whether an individualized music intervention can improve the quality of life for PwD living in a nursing home. Additionally, it will provide valuable insight into the acceptability and implementation of an individualized music intervention in the institutional care setting. If the individualized music intervention proves to be effective and widely applicable, it could be implemented on a large scale in institutional care as an easy-to-administer intervention.Trial registrationGerman Clinical Trials Register DRKS00013793; ISRCTN registry, ISRCTN59052178, date applied 27 February 2018, date assigned 4 April 2018, retrospectively registered.