Support Groups for Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment and Their Partners
Condition: Mild Cognitive Impairment
MeSH terms: Cognitive Dysfunction
Study type: Interventional
Phase: Phase 2

Summary: 
      This study aims at developing and evaluating a support group program for patients with mild
      cognitive impairment (MCI) and their partners. These patients have defective memory function
      but are not demented. However, there is an increased chance of developing dementia in the
      near future; 10-15% per year for MCI patients, in contrast to 1-2% per year for healthy
      elderly persons. For the patients and their caregivers this means that they are confronted
      with feelings of uncertainty and fear towards the future. They also have many questions about
      how to improve their memory problems and how to cope with other changes or consequences.

      The purpose of the support group program is to improve coping skills and facilitate
      adaptation to the impairments, in order to reduce anxiety or depression and strengthen
      feelings of competence in patients and their partners.
    

Detailed description: 
      One of the consequences of the improved methodology for diagnosing dementia in a very early
      stage is a growing group of patients in memory clinics who have cognitive deficits, which
      exceed normal physiological aging processes but do not fulfil the criteria for dementia. This
      category of patients with so-called 'Mild cognitive impairment' (MCI) is known to have an
      increased risk at developing Dementia. For these patients, who have intact insight and
      expressive skills, we expect that a psychosocial intervention may reduce feelings of
      helplessness and anxiety and improve quality of life.

      The group intervention was developed with respect to the 'stress adaptation coping model' of
      Lazarus and the 'family support model' of Bengston and Kuypers.

      Coming up with these models the aim is to teach participants to explore their attributions,
      feelings and behaviour in order to enhance their coping strategies. This will increase the
      feelings of competence and decrease feelings of helplessness.

      In addition to these models we investigated the problems and themes as they are experienced
      by MCI patients and their partners, using systematic interviews. This information resulted in
      the following modules:

        1. Understanding MCI and memory problems;

        2. Exploring attributions and misconceptions;

        3. Other changes;

        4. Methods to improve memory performance;

        5. Worrying and problem solving;

        6. Losing activities and finding a new balance;

        7. Tension and relaxation;

        8. Managing conflicts;

        9. Emotions.

      These modules are worked through in 10 sessions, in 12 weeks. The group structure is as
      follows: patients and parents meet separately the first 60 minutes, and then reconvene
      together for the last half hour. This structure optimizes the sharing of each other's
      experiences and prevents stigmatizing.

      The main objective of the current study is to develop and evaluate a support group
      intervention for patients with MCI and their partners. We expect that our support group
      intervention will strengthen the partner's sense of competence to care for the patient and
      will improve the quality of life of the patient and the partner as well.
    

Intervention name(s): support groups
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): cognitive behavioral intervention with psychoeducation
Allocation: Non-Randomized
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Keywords: psychosocial intervention; mild cognitive impairment; support group; caregivers; Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI); Cognitive Impairment No Dementia (CIND)