Author: Hoskins S, Coleman M and McNeely D

Journal: Journal of Advanced Nursing, 2005

Volume/pages: Vol 50(3), pp325-333

About the study

This paper reports the findings of a study which explored the effectiveness of a multidisciplinary Community Mental Health Team (CMHT) in reducing stress in carers of older people with dementia. The study took place in a mental health trust in South Wales.

Findings

Structured interviews were undertaken using a tool called the Caregiver Strain Index (CSI) with 26 carers at three points in time: at initial assessment, after three months and after six months. There was no control group. Over the six month period there was a significant decrease in levels of reported stress.   When this was explored for specific types of intervention, the difference was only significant for respite care (and not for other interventions such as home help or day care) "“ although no service was received in isolation.

Key Messages for practice

• Carers whose relatives received services from a multidisciplinary team experienced reduced levels of stress over a six month period

• However, it is difficult to draw conclusions about the effect of a model of integrated care from an uncontrolled study: we cannot know whether the impact was related to the mixed nature of the team.