The Stress-Busting Program is a multi-component program focusing on support, problem-solving, education, and stress management for family caregivers. The program content includes stress and the impact of long term stress, managing difficult behaviors/conditions, grief, loss, and depression, coping strategies, positive thinking, taking care of yourself, and choosing a path to wellness. Each week a different stress management technique is demonstrated. The program was originally developed for caregivers caring for someone with dementia, but there are now adaptations available for chronic illness, and Spanish language. In addition, all programs are available in an online format or meeting room format.
Additional topic includes caregiver support.
- Target audience: Family caregivers either caring for someone with dementia or for someone who has a chronic condition. There is also a Spanish language adaptation available.
- Health outcomes:
- Over the course of the study, caregivers had significant decreases in perceived stress, depression, subjective caregiver burden, anxiety, and anger/hostility.
- Caregivers also had improvements in general health, vitality, social function, and mental health scores.
- Based on quality of life measures from the beginning to the end of the intervention, improvement was shown by 97.4% of caregivers who participated in the study, with 61% showing improvement on all measures tested.
- Delivered by: Trained lay leader/facilitator
- Program type: Group
- Format: In-person in community
- Length: One 1.5-hour session per week for 9 weeks
- Training: In-person
- Professional required: No, to implement the program, organizations are required to send two individuals to Master Training. After the Master Trainers have completed one participant workshop, they can train group facilitators.
- Accessibility adaptations available: Yes, the program is available in an online format
- Cultural adaptations available: Yes
- Available in languages other than English: Spanish
- Topic(s):
- Alzheimer’s Disease/Dementia
- Chronic Disease
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