A Stress-Busting Program for family caregivers

Aging baby boomers, longer life spans, and rising levels of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) will result in a caregiver crisis in the near future. The ways in which caregivers deal with stresses related to caregiving will be critical to both their own well-being and their ability to care for others. The purpose of this article is to describe the Stress-Busting Program (SBP) for family caregivers and its effectiveness. The essential components of the SBP are education, stress management, problem solving, and support delivered in a group setting for 9 weeks. Results of the SBP indicate that throughout the program, caregivers experienced significant improvements in general health, vitality, social function, and mental health scores and decreases in anxiety, anger/hostility, depression, perceived stress, and caregiver burden. The SBP is a cost-effective health-promotion strategy for caregivers who have substantial ongoing stress. Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) currently affect more than 5 million Americans. Aging baby boomers, longer life spans, and rising levels of ADRD will result in a caregiver crisis as the number of people age 65 and older with ADRD is expected to reach an estimated 7.7 million in 2030. This is an increase of more than 50% above the number of people who are currently affected (Alzheimer’s Association, 2008). One out of eight people age 65 and older has ADRD, and nearly one of two people over age 85 has ADRD. To put this number in perspective, one in eight Americans has a family member with ADRD. ADRD is the seventh-leading cause of death overall and the fifthleading cause of death for those older than the age of 65. Hispanics/Latin Americans and African Americans have a higher risk of developing ADRD than Whites (Alzheimer’s Association, 2008).