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The Gerontologist 44:262-269 (2004)
© 2004 The Gerontological Society of America

Memory Club: A Group Intervention for People With Early-Stage Dementia and Their Care Partners

Steven H. Zarit, PhD1,, Elia E. Femia, PhD1, Jennifer Watson, PhD2, Laura Rice-Oeschger, MSW3 and Bernadette Kakos, BA2

Correspondence: Address correspondence to Steven H. Zarit, Penn State University, Henderson Bldg. S-211, University Park, PA 16802. E-mail: z67{at}psu.edu.

Purpose: Diagnosis of dementia in its early stages presents a window of opportunity for examining the immediate and long-term consequences of the illness at a point when the individual with memory loss can still participate in decision making. Design and Methods: Memory Club is a 10-session group program designed to provide information about memory loss and resources for coping with it in an emotionally supportive atmosphere for people with dementia and their care partners. Memory Club sessions are structured so that dyads meet together, as well as separately with other care partners and people with dementia, respectively. This approach allows for time for the dyad to talk together about issues in a supportive setting, and for the people in the same role (person with dementia or the care partner) to share experiences with one another. Results: A preliminary evaluation indicated that people with dementia and their care partners rated Memory Club very positively. Implications: Facing an inevitable decline, persons with early-stage dementia and their care partners found it helpful to talk with one another and with peers in the same circumstances about the disease and its effects.

Key Words: Early dementia • Psychoeducational treatment • Dyadic treatment




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