Do memory clinics improve the quality of life of carers? A randomized pilot trial

Abstract

Objective. To determine the effects of attendance at a memory clinic on the psychosocial health of carers. Design. Randomized control trial. Participants. Fifty community dwelling subjects with mild to moderate dementia and their carers. Main outcome measures. Carer burden, psychological morbidity and psychosocial health related quality of life at 6 and 12 months post intervention. Main results. There was significant improvement in psychosocial health related quality of life of carers as measured by the psychosocial domain of the Functional Limitation Profile (FLP) at 6 months (p < 0.01), including improvement in the subgroups of alertness behaviour (p < 0.05) and social interaction (p < 0.0..