The effectiveness of dyadic interventions for people with dementia and their caregivers

The need for dyadic intervention is enhanced with increasing numbers of older adults with early-stage dementia. The purpose of this paper is to review the effects of dyadic interventions on caregivers (CGs) and care recipients (CRs) at the early stage of dementia. Four databases, AgeLine, Medline, EBSCO, and PyscINFO were searched and relevant literature from 2000 onwards was reviewed. The twelve studies identified used a variety of intervention approaches including support group, counseling, cognitive stimulation, skill training, and notebook-keeping. This review suggests that intervention programs for early-stage dementia caregiving dyads were feasible and well accepted by participants. The reviewed studies provided rich evidence of the significance of mutual understanding and communication to partners’ well-being and relationship quality within the caregiving process. The findings suggest that these intervention approaches improved cognitive function of the CRs, social relations, and the relationship between the primary CG and the CR, although evidence of long-term effectiveness is lacking.