IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v21y2024i4p513-d1380303.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Peer Support for Caregivers of People Living with Posterior Cortical Atrophy in Melbourne, Australia: A Feasibility Study

Author

Listed:
  • Alexander Mitchell

    (Neuropsychiatry Centre, Royal Melbourne Hospital, 300 Grattan Street, Parkville 3050, Australia)

  • Wendy Kelso

    (Neuropsychiatry Centre, Royal Melbourne Hospital, 300 Grattan Street, Parkville 3050, Australia)

  • Camille Paynter

    (Melbourne School of Health Sciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3052, Australia)

  • Leanne Hayes

    (Neuropsychiatry Centre, Royal Melbourne Hospital, 300 Grattan Street, Parkville 3050, Australia)

  • Dennis Velakoulis

    (Neuropsychiatry Centre, Royal Melbourne Hospital, 300 Grattan Street, Parkville 3050, Australia
    Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3052, Australia)

  • Samantha M. Loi

    (Neuropsychiatry Centre, Royal Melbourne Hospital, 300 Grattan Street, Parkville 3050, Australia
    Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Parkville 3052, Australia)

Abstract

Posterior Cortical Atrophy (PCA) is a rare form of young-onset dementia that causes early visuospatial and visuoperceptual deficits. The symptom profile of Posterior Cortical Atrophy leads to very specific care needs for those affected, who often rely on informal caregivers (including friends and family). Rare dementia support groups can be useful for both patients and their caregivers to assist with knowledge sharing, psychoeducation, and the provision of psychosocial support. Despite this, few such support groups exist. The purpose of this study was to examine a PCA support group for caregivers of individuals living with PCA. We held a structured psychoeducation support group comprised of four sessions with the aim being to provide education, strategies for the management of the disease, and peer support. Caregivers’ mental health and quality of life were assessed. The results of our study showed that support group participation was a positive experience and assisted with increasing the knowledge of caregivers and fostering social connections. We suggest that peer support groups may be beneficial for both people living with PCA and their caregivers. We recommend that future quantitative and qualitative research is conducted to further assess health-promotion benefits to people living with PCA and their caregivers, and to assess their development and implementation in different contexts.

Suggested Citation

  • Alexander Mitchell & Wendy Kelso & Camille Paynter & Leanne Hayes & Dennis Velakoulis & Samantha M. Loi, 2024. "Peer Support for Caregivers of People Living with Posterior Cortical Atrophy in Melbourne, Australia: A Feasibility Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 21(4), pages 1-10, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:21:y:2024:i:4:p:513-:d:1380303
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/21/4/513/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/21/4/513/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:21:y:2024:i:4:p:513-:d:1380303. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    We have no bibliographic references for this item. You can help adding them by using this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.