***Savvy Caregiver*:**

**An Evidence-Based Intervention for Alzheimer's and Dementia Care**

*Savvy Caregiver* is intended to train families and others for the
unfamiliar role they face as caregiver for a relative or friend with
Alzheimer's disease or another dementia. *Savvy Caregiver* is a 12-hour
training program that is usually delivered in 2-hour sessions over a
6-week period. Available materials for the program include a detailed
trainer's manual, a caregiver manual, a training videotape, and a
CD-ROM. The program focuses on helping caregivers think about their
situation objectively and providing them with the knowledge, skills, and
attitudes they need to manage stress and carry out the caregiving role
effectively.

An evaluation of *Savvy Caregiver* found statistically significant
positive outcomes for caregivers who participated in the program vs.
those in the control group with respect to the caregivers' beliefs about
caregiving, their reactions to the behavioral symptoms of their care
recipient, and their feelings of stress and burden (Ostwald et al.,
1999; Hepburn et al., 2001). This evaluation was conducted in an
academic setting where the program was delivered by its developers.

*Savvy Caregiver* training has also been transformed into a
self-contained version that can be delivered in many settings without
direct involvement of the developers. This version was field tested with
140 family caregivers in rural Minnesota, Denver, and Anchorage, Alaska,
with positive responses from the caregivers and the professionals who
offered the training (health educators, nurses, social workers,
recreation therapists, and geriatricians) (Hepburn et al., 2003).

Since 2002, *Savvy Caregiver* training has been provided by a consortium
of agencies in Colorado with funding from the Administration on Aging
through the Alzheimer's Disease Demonstration Grants to States (ADDGS)
program. A major objective of the Colorado project was to reach rural
caregivers. The consortium believed that *Savvy Caregiver* training
would be particularly useful for these caregivers because it teaches
caregivers to use a comprehensive manual and CD-ROM that can help them
with future caregiving problems even if they do not have access to
services in their local communities. Since many rural caregivers would
have difficulty traveling long distances for 2-hour training sessions
over a 6-week period, the Colorado consortium provided *Savvy Caregiver*
training in longer sessions that were delivered in one day, or one day a
week for two weeks or three weeks.

Preliminary observations from the Colorado ADDGS project indicate that
*Savvy Caregiver* training is effective in reducing depression and
increasing the use of support groups by rural caregivers. The 1- 2- and
3-day training formats appear to be equally effective and make the
program available to rural caregivers who would not be able to receive
the training if it were delivered in shorter sessions over a 6-week
period.

For more information about the original *Savvy Caregiver* program,
contact Kenneth Hepburn, PhD, University of Minnesota, hepbu001@umn.edu
or (612) 625-1678.

For more information about *Savvy Caregiver* in the ADDGS program in
Colorado, contact Paul Bell, PhD, Coloado State University,
<plubium@lamar.colostate.edu> or (970) 491-7215.

[References]{.underline}:

Ostwald SK, Hepburn KW, Caron W, Burns T, and Mantell R. (1999) Reducing
Caregiver Burden: A Randomized Psychoeducational Intervention for
Caregivers of Persons with Dementia. *Gerontologist, 39(3),* 299-309.

Hepburn KW, Tornatore J, Center B, and Ostwald SW. (2001) Dementia
Family Caregiver Training: Affecting Beliefs About Caregiving and
Caregiver Outcomes. *Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, 49(4),*
450-457.

Hepburn KW, Lewis M, Sherman CW, and Tornatore J. The Savvy Caregiver
Program: Developing and Testing a Transportable Dementia Family
Caregiver Training Program. (2003) *Gerontologist 43(6),* 908-915.