Children of heroes: Alzheimer's disease--a path toward healing and wholeness for caregivers.

Conventional wisdom postulates that Alzheimer's steals personhood and destroys our opportunities to heal, reconcile, and deepen our relationships with persons who have this disease. In this article, children of Alzheimer's Heroes who have answered the call to love, challenge this conventional wisdom. With clarity, confidence, and courage, we bear witness to the mythic power of Alzheimer's and express gratitude for the surprising gifts that have transformed our lives.

A novel two-day intervention reduces stress in caregivers of persons with dementia.

INTRODUCTION: Caregivers of individuals with dementia are at heightened risk for stress-related mental and physical illnesses, and this problem is growing. There is a critical need to develop effective interventions for caregivers. This study tested whether a 2-day intervention improved psychological health in caregivers of individuals with dementia. METHODS: Family caregivers (N = 104) were randomly assigned to a 2-day intervention or wait-list control group. The intervention uses techniques aimed at fostering self-care for caregivers and improving communication between caregivers and individuals with dementia. Self-reported caregiver burden, stress, anxiety, and depression were measured at 1, 3, and 6 months after intervention. RESULTS: Most participants (91.5%) completed the entire study. The intervention significantly reduced perceived stress for up to 6 months (Β = -2.84, t = -2.68, P = .008) and was considered by nearly all respondents to be helpful for managing challenging behaviors. DISCUSSION: A low-cost, brief intervention shows promise for producing lasting improvements in caregiver's psychological health.