Managing carer stress: an evaluation of a stress management programme for carers of people with dementia

Examines the effect of carer stress management using the Carers' Checklist (Hodgson et al 1998) as a measure of outcome. Pre-course and post-course questionnaires were used with carers, who agreed to attend a structured stress management course. The carers who attended demonstrated a better awareness and understanding of stress and its management following the course. Positive measures of outcome were also determined by a decrease in the carers' rating in frequency of dementia-related problems, carer burden of dementia-related problems and overall carer burden. The findings confirm that structured stress management can reduce carer burden and offer better coping strategies through raising carers' awareness and understanding.