Preliminary evaluation and implications of the SPECAL method as an intervention for informal dementia care partners

Abstract

Objective: The degenerative nature of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) means that people diagnosed with ADRD often rely on friends and family to provide care as their cognitive and physical abilities decline. Caring for a person with dementia is complicated, in part because ADRD changes a person’s ability to communicate and create memories. Practitioners have increasingly identified communication-centered interventions as one way to address care partner needs while also improving well-being for the person with dementia. In this study, we evaluated one program, the SPECAL® method.

Method: Using mixed-methods research, we assessed the effectiveness of a seven-week SPECAL course at facilitating positive outcomes for informal care partners. Participants completed pre- and post-program surveys (n = 17) as well as post-program interviews (n = 20).

Results: Results showed several positive changes from pre- to post-program. Participants also reported several key themes in their experiences and implementation of SPECAL, including many beneficial and some challenging outcomes.

Conclusion: Results from this study underscore the importance of communication as an intervention target for dementia care partners, identifying opportunities and challenges in working to help care partners communicate with people with ADRD in ways that sustain their relationship and foster mutual well-being.

Keywords:

• Communication intervention
• dementia
• caregiving
• mixed-methods research
• SPECAL^® method
• Contented Dementia
• person-centered care

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Bentley Porterfield-Finn, Emeline Hecht, and Lindsey Barter for their assistance with this research. We also thank Penny Garner of the Contented Dementia Trust for her support of this research. We also wish to thank our participants for their involvement. Finally, we thank the anonymous reviewers for their feedback.

Disclosure statement

This study was supported by Dementia Together (a nonprofit organization). Cyndy Luzinski is the founder and executive director of Dementia Together, an organization which might benefit from the publication of these findings.

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.