Tailored Activity Program-Veterans Affairs

The interventionist, an occupational therapist, meets with the caregiver and introduces the intervention goals. The OT provides and reviews written educational materials about dementia, importance of taking care of self, communication strategies and other educational materials. Also provided and reviewed is The 36 Hour Day. The OT interviews the caregiver to obtain information about previous roles, habits, past and current daily routines, caregiver and Veteran preferences and interests. The OT also observes interactions, noting communication and management style. The OT will also meet with the Veteran, observe social capacity using the Peavy Comportment scale and administer the Dementia Rating Scale.

Caregivers in this group received bi-weekly telephone contact by a trained healthcare professional. In each session, caregivers were provided information about dementia and strategies for disease management. Each telephone contact began with a brief overview the session purpose, followed by a description of key facts, and concluded with a question and answer period. The attention control group intervention was delivered by a member of the research team who is knowledgeable about dementia and has had prior experience working with family caregivers.