Effects of the progressively lowered stress threshold model on people with dementia and their caregivers outcomes

Objective: The objective of this study is to assess the validity and reliability of the Quality of Life in Alzheimer's Disease (QOL-AD) scale for the Turkish society, evaluate the effectiveness of the model developed to address progressively lowered stres threshold (PLST) for people with dementia and their caregivers. Method: research was composed of two phases with methodological and experimental parts. At the methodological phase, the reliability?validity test of QOL-AD was conducted methodologically on 72 patients and their caregivers. Experimental phase was carried out on 70 patients and their caregivers at their patients home by using the pretest-posttest1-posttest2 with experiment comparation group and the monitoring model. Data were collected through Sociodemographic form, QOL-AD, CBI, Beck Depression Inventory, WHOQOL-BREF, NPI, ADL. PLST model was applied to the patients and their caregivers in the experiment group. Findings: In the first stage cronbach alfa of QOL-AD scale for the patients was found as 0.84, caregivers' reports on patients' quality of life was 0.77. In the second stage caregiver burden, depression and quality of life scores were not statistically significant difference between the intervention and comparison group. However, all of the variables examined in caregivers in the intervention group showed improvement during follow-up. NPI, ADL, QOL-AD scores of patients also were not statically significant difference between the intervention and comparison group. Conclusions: QOL-AD is a reliable and valid instrument. It was deteceted that PLST model is clinically effective in reducing caregiver burden and depression, and improving QOL. Key Words: Dementia, RCT, PLST.