Studying Two 8-Week Wellness Programs to Support Family Caregivers of People With Neurodegenerative Diseases

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating whether an 8-week mindfulness program can improve psychological well-being, reduce biological stress markers, and enhance cognitive function in primary family caregivers aged 50 years and older who care for persons with dementia or related neurodegenerative diseases. This study includes 232 caregivers who will be randomly assigned to one of three groups mindfulness meditation, psychoeducation, or caregiver respite. The goal is to understand the impact of these interventions on stress, depressive symptoms, inflammation, and attention. Participants will take part in either an 8-week mindfulness meditation program based on Kabat-Zinns MBSR program but adapted for caregivers, an 8-week psychoeducation support group covering wellness and caregiver-specific topics, or a respite control group that receives two hours of weekly caregiving relief without a program. The mindfulness sessions are 120 minutes weekly, include guided practices, and monitor home practice. The psychoeducation sessions match in length and frequency, focusing on healthy aging. The respite group is offered weekly care breaks and logs their use. Caregivers will complete three testing sessions at baseline before the intervention, immediately after the 8-week programs, and at a 12-month follow-up. Assessments include psychological measures like stress and depression scales, cognitive testing, and blood samples collected at LifeLabs to analyze biological stress markers. Blood results will be shared with participants. All sessions are conducted virtually via Zoom, and participant adherence is tracked through logs and attendance. The total study duration extends to 12 months after intervention completion.

Self-Care Training for Family Caregivers of Persons With Neurodegeneration