THE EFFECT OF CAREGIVER PSYCHOEDUCATION ON STRESS AND FAMILY ADAPTATION OF ELDERLY DEMENTIA CAREGIVERS

Abstract

Introduction: elderly people experience physical and cognitive changes as they age which can greatly affect their quality of life. Seniors face a variety of challenges as they age, including physical, psychological, and cognitive problems such as dementia. Caregivers with dementia often experience stress and this can result in negative physical and psychological consequences for the caregiver, a phenomenon known as caregiver burden. High levels of stress can have a negative impact on the caregiver's physical and psychological health, as well as reduce the quality of care provided to the elderly. Psychoeducation is an approach designed to provide knowledge, skills and emotional support to caregivers. The aim of this research is to determine the effect of psychoeducation on the stress of elderly people with dementia. Method: quasi-experimental research type with a Non Equivalent Control Group Pretest and Posttest Design. The research population was family caregivers with a total sample of 66 and taken using consecutive sampling technique. The intervention in this study was psychoeducational interventions for caregivers and health education for the control group. The instruments used for stress are the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10). Results: there is a significant difference after providing caregiver psychoeducation intervention on the stress and adaptation of family caregivers with a p-value of 0.000 < 0.05, meaning that there is an influence of caregiver psychoeducation on the stress and adaptation of family caregivers of elderly people with dementia. Conclusion: caregiver psychoeducation is effective in reducing family caregiver stress levels.