Home Based Activity Program Summary

The purpose of the study was to determine whether a home-based activity program known as the Tailored Activity Program; (TAP-VA), as compared to a control group, could decrease the severity of behavioral symptoms among veterans with dementia. Additionally, the study wanted to explore how the TAP-VA may also affect caregiver burden, client's functional decline, and the time that a caregiver spends caring for the client. This study was a parallel, randomized control trial which falls under a level I of evidence. Also this study was single blind as the interviewer who assessed the participants over the course of the study was not aware of which participants were split among the two groups. The study was conducted over the span of eight months, with interviewers assessing …show more content…
Additionally, by allowing the participants to use medications that could address behavioral and cognitive impairments, the ability to determine whether the immediate positive effects were due to the interventions or due to the medications. The study was conducted within the veterans' home. Researchers found that when comparing TAP-VA with educational sessions done over telephone at four months, the clients in the TAP-VA experienced immediate benefits as evidenced by the elimination or reduction in frequency of negative behaviors. Immediate benefits for participants in the TAP-VA group were also seen among caregivers at four months because caregivers in this group experienced less distress than caregivers in the control group. Even though the TAP-VA intervention proved beneficial in caregivers and clients receiving immediate benefits, the effects of the intervention did not last long as these benefits were gone by the 8 month assessment., In addition to caregiver findings, when comparing the two study groups, there were not significant differences on how each group impacted the caregiver's symptoms of depression, the time spent caring for the clients with dementia, and the overall caregiver