Befriending carers of people with dementia: randomised controlled trial

Georgina Charlesworth; Lee Shepstone; Edward Wilson; Shirley Reynolds; Miranda Mugford; David Price; Ian Harvey; Fiona Poland

doi:10.1136/bmj.39549.548831.AE

Befriending carers of people with dementia: randomised controlled trial

Georgina Charlesworth^* (Corresponding Author), Lee Shepstone, Edward Wilson, Shirley Reynolds, Miranda Mugford, David Price, Ian Harvey, Fiona Poland

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article

42 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a voluntary sector based befriending scheme in improving psychological wellbeing and quality of life for family carers of people with dementia.

Design: Single blind randomised controlled trial.

Setting: Community settings in East Anglia and London.

Participants: 236 family carers of people with primary progressive dementia.

Intervention: Contact with a befriender facilitator and offer of match with a trained lay volunteer befriender compared with no befriender facilitator contact; all participants continued to receive “usual care.”

Main outcome measures: Carers’ mood (hospital anxiety and depression scale—depression) and health related quality of life (EuroQoL) at 15 months post-randomisation.

Results: The intention to treat analysis showed no benefit for the intervention “access to a befriender facilitator” on the primary outcome measure or on any of the secondary outcome measures.

Conclusions: In common with many carers’ services, befriending schemes are not taken up by all carers, and providing access to a befriending scheme is not effective in improving wellbeing.

Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN08130075.

Original language	English
Article number	1295
Number of pages	6
Journal	The BMJ
Volume	336
Issue number	7656
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.39549.548831.AE
Publication status	Published - Jun 2008

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Charlesworth, G., Shepstone, L., Wilson, E., Reynolds, S., Mugford, M., Price, D., Harvey, I., & Poland, F. (2008). Befriending carers of people with dementia: randomised controlled trial. The BMJ, 336(7656), [1295]. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.39549.548831.AE

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title = "Befriending carers of people with dementia: randomised controlled trial",

abstract = "Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a voluntary sector based befriending scheme in improving psychological wellbeing and quality of life for family carers of people with dementia.Design: Single blind randomised controlled trial.Setting: Community settings in East Anglia and London.Participants: 236 family carers of people with primary progressive dementia.Intervention: Contact with a befriender facilitator and offer of match with a trained lay volunteer befriender compared with no befriender facilitator contact; all participants continued to receive “usual care.”Main outcome measures: Carers{\textquoteright} mood (hospital anxiety and depression scale—depression) and health related quality of life (EuroQoL) at 15 months post-randomisation.Results: The intention to treat analysis showed no benefit for the intervention “access to a befriender facilitator” on the primary outcome measure or on any of the secondary outcome measures.Conclusions: In common with many carers{\textquoteright} services, befriending schemes are not taken up by all carers, and providing access to a befriending scheme is not effective in improving wellbeing.Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN08130075.",

author = "Georgina Charlesworth and Lee Shepstone and Edward Wilson and Shirley Reynolds and Miranda Mugford and David Price and Ian Harvey and Fiona Poland",

note = "We thank Norwich and Norfolk Voluntary Services, Age Concern Suffolk, and Age Concern Havering for hosting the befriending schemes and all the participating carers for their time and support. We also thank Tom Arie for the initial suggestion of evaluating voluntary sector support for carers. Funding: The BECCA trial was commissioned by the NHS R&D Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme (project no 99/34/07) after a call for primary research into “support for carers” and the associated peer review process. Volunteers{\textquoteright} out of pocket expenses were provided by Norfolk and Suffolk Social Services and the King{\textquoteright}s Lynn and West Norfolk Branch of the Alzheimer{\textquoteright}s Society. GC{\textquoteright}s time was funded through a Department of Health ad hoc grant to North East London Mental Health Trust. The authors{\textquoteright} work is independent of the funders. Views and opinions expressed in this paper are not necessarily those of the Department of Health.",

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doi = "10.1136/bmj.39549.548831.AE",

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AU - Charlesworth, Georgina

AU - Shepstone, Lee

AU - Wilson, Edward

AU - Reynolds, Shirley

AU - Mugford, Miranda

AU - Price, David

AU - Harvey, Ian

AU - Poland, Fiona

N1 - We thank Norwich and Norfolk Voluntary Services, Age Concern Suffolk, and Age Concern Havering for hosting the befriending schemes and all the participating carers for their time and support. We also thank Tom Arie for the initial suggestion of evaluating voluntary sector support for carers. Funding: The BECCA trial was commissioned by the NHS R&D Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Programme (project no 99/34/07) after a call for primary research into “support for carers” and the associated peer review process. Volunteers’ out of pocket expenses were provided by Norfolk and Suffolk Social Services and the King’s Lynn and West Norfolk Branch of the Alzheimer’s Society. GC’s time was funded through a Department of Health ad hoc grant to North East London Mental Health Trust. The authors’ work is independent of the funders. Views and opinions expressed in this paper are not necessarily those of the Department of Health.

PY - 2008/6

Y1 - 2008/6

N2 - Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a voluntary sector based befriending scheme in improving psychological wellbeing and quality of life for family carers of people with dementia.Design: Single blind randomised controlled trial.Setting: Community settings in East Anglia and London.Participants: 236 family carers of people with primary progressive dementia.Intervention: Contact with a befriender facilitator and offer of match with a trained lay volunteer befriender compared with no befriender facilitator contact; all participants continued to receive “usual care.”Main outcome measures: Carers’ mood (hospital anxiety and depression scale—depression) and health related quality of life (EuroQoL) at 15 months post-randomisation.Results: The intention to treat analysis showed no benefit for the intervention “access to a befriender facilitator” on the primary outcome measure or on any of the secondary outcome measures.Conclusions: In common with many carers’ services, befriending schemes are not taken up by all carers, and providing access to a befriending scheme is not effective in improving wellbeing.Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN08130075.

AB - Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a voluntary sector based befriending scheme in improving psychological wellbeing and quality of life for family carers of people with dementia.Design: Single blind randomised controlled trial.Setting: Community settings in East Anglia and London.Participants: 236 family carers of people with primary progressive dementia.Intervention: Contact with a befriender facilitator and offer of match with a trained lay volunteer befriender compared with no befriender facilitator contact; all participants continued to receive “usual care.”Main outcome measures: Carers’ mood (hospital anxiety and depression scale—depression) and health related quality of life (EuroQoL) at 15 months post-randomisation.Results: The intention to treat analysis showed no benefit for the intervention “access to a befriender facilitator” on the primary outcome measure or on any of the secondary outcome measures.Conclusions: In common with many carers’ services, befriending schemes are not taken up by all carers, and providing access to a befriending scheme is not effective in improving wellbeing.Trial registration: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN08130075.

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DO - 10.1136/bmj.39549.548831.AE

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