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The Gerontologist 48:115-120 (2008)
© 2008 The Gerontological Society of America

Assisted Vacations for Men With Dementia and Their Caregiving Spouses: Evaluation of Health-Related Effects

Gabriele Wilz, PhD1 and Margit Fink-Heitz, MScN2

Correspondence: Address correspondence to Gabriele Wilz, PhD, Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, Technical University of Berlin, Franklinstr. 28/29, D-10587 Berlin, Germany. E-mail: gabriele.wilz{at}gp.tu-berlin.de

Purpose: In this study, we conducted the first evaluation of assisted vacations for persons with dementia and their caregivers in the field of caregiving research.Design and Methods: We used a quasi-experimental, two-group, repeated measures design with two measuring times (preintervention, 3-month follow-up) to examine whether assisted vacations lead to a reduction in physical complaints and symptoms of depression in family caregivers. The sample consisted of 29 caregiving wives who were providing at-home care for husbands suffering from dementia. We selected the participants in the control group from a waiting list. Outcome measurements were made with the Giessen Subjective Complaints List and the Beck Depression Inventory. Results: The overall emotional and physical states of the participants in the intervention group showed significant improvements in comparison with those of the control group 3 months after the first interview. Implications: The results show that assisted vacations can have both immediate and longer lasting positive effects on participants' health. Assisted vacations can therefore be a way of diminishing the risk of stress disorders for caregiving spouses. Making assisted vacations available to people with dementia and their caregivers is a worthwhile goal for community support facilities working to reduce caregiver burden.

Key Words: Dementia intervention • Depression • Family care • Clinical trial






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