“Support Program for Family” Alzheimer’s Caregivers Support Workshop - People with Dementia Are Happier when Their Caregivers Are Emotionally Grounded

Caregivers get-together The Support Program for Family was established to support families that are having problems with caring for their elderly members and to help them to provide the best care they can as soon as possible.

The program offers workshops consisting of six sessions, one session per month. Each workshop is attended by a group of about twenty regular members. More than five hundred people have enrolled overall. The workshops are led primarily by families with experience in home care.

Caregivers get-together Workshops are divided between periods for gaining knowledge and periods for informal exchange with other caregivers. During the “gaining knowledge” periods, specialists in the medical profession explain the basics of dementia, how to communicate with physicians, and so forth, while other professionals offer advice on care methods and how to make use of formal services. During the “exchange” periods, the caregivers talk with one another, realize that they are not the only ones with such problems, and learn the importance of establishing a care routine that is right for them.

We are also working on leadership training to enable anyone to implement this program anywhere in the country. In this connection we have already compiled a leadership manual and video.

Participants
Typical of the feedback we have received are statements like “I gained confidence in my ability to get through any situation. I feel I have grown,” and “I met people with all kinds of troubles and realized that I’m not the only one.” We have seen many cases where families that began the program looking drawn and overburdened left it with faces expressing relief and optimism.

Participants themselves have expressed their desire to continue getting together after the end of a workshop, and in many areas they have begun holding regular get-togethers. In a nearby town, the members of such a group planned and put on a lecture to inform people in the community about dementia, and more than two hundred people attended.
People with dementia
We see many cases in which the dementia people with dementia grows calmer as a result of the changes in the way their families relate to them.
Local government
There are indications that program participants in each area are forming a nucleus of community support for caregiver families in cooperation with local government administrators. From local government’s standpoint, these people provide strong and welcome support for dementia care.

Alzheimer’s Association Japan took the lead in creating the Support Program for Family based on years of achievement in this area, and in the course of implementing it has achieved tangible results. Beyond providing support, the association has conducted rigorous monitoring to enhance the program and provide a clear view of its prospects. We believe it offers a concrete model for family support nationwide.
When family caregivers are emotionally grounded, it leads to improvements in people with dementia. The content of the workshops goes beyond helping families get support and instead places a thoroughgoing emphasis on helping them discover their own ability. In this sense it provides a concrete model that pointing the way for future care.
Community residents and government offices have assisted in formulating the content and making preparations, and this process has enhanced understanding and support. Along with the support program itself, the approach we have taken to these activities offers lessons for family support efforts going on all around the country.