(Press-News.org)
Inoue Receives Funding For Mason CARES Plus
Megumi Inoue, Associate Professor, Social Work, received funding for: "Mason CARES Plus."
Mason CARES Plus is an expansion study to Mason CARES that will focus on conducting in-depth focus groups and online semi-structured interviews to assess which specific aspects of the Stress Busting Program (SBP) and the Music and Memory program (M&M) were most (and least) impactful in reducing care partner stress and identify effective strategies to improve care partner engagement with the M&M program among Mason CARES participants.
Preliminary results from the Mason CARES study show a high average baseline stress level among care partners before the program started. They also show a significant reduction in caregiver stress levels among spouse caregivers compared to non-spouse caregivers five weeks after the SBP intervention.
Results also show those caring for adults living with moderate dementia experienced a greater reduction in stress levels than those caring for adults with severe dementia.
These findings suggest that SBP effectiveness varied based on the care partner’s baseline stress level, spousal relationship, and dementia severity of the care receiver.
Through the implementation of Mason CARES Plus, researchers will:
examine which elements of the Stress Busting Program (SBP) sessions were most effective (and least effective) among care partners with mild to moderate stress levels compared to those with very high stress levels;
understand the specific elements of the SBP program that are more (and less) effective in reducing stress levels for different types of care partners;
identify best practices for targeting and adopting the use of stress management techniques to improve effectiveness in reducing stress among different types of care partners; and
examine how a structured social support system can reduce the stress levels of different care partners.
They will also:
assess which factors were associated with higher levels of engagement and adoption of the Music and Memory (M&M) program from the perspectives of care partners AND that of older adults with early-to-moderate stage dementia;
explore the perceived efficacy of the M&M program using a novel approach of interviewing older adults living with mild to moderate dementia;
compare the perceived efficacy of the M&M intervention among care partners with mild to moderate stress levels compared to those with high-stress levels; and
strategize best practices for utilizing M&M to ultimately reduce care partner stress.
Inoue received $89,995 from RRF Foundation for Aging for this project. Funding began in July 2023 and will end in late June 2024.
The significance of the study is that Mason CARES Plus will provide new practical insights to improve the targeting and effectiveness of this dual intervention (SBP and M&M), with the goal of improving its adoption by care partners and in turn, reducing care partner stress.
The research team also includes: Emily Ihara, Professor and Chair. Social Work; Cathy Tompkins, Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, Social Work, College of Public Health; Gilbert Gimm, Associate Professor, Health Administration and Policy; and Shannon Layman, Adjunct Faculty, Psychology.
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About George Mason University
George Mason University is Virginia's largest public research university. Located near Washington, D.C., Mason enrolls 38,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states. Mason has grown rapidly over the last half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity and commitment to accessibility. Learn more at http://www.gmu.edu.
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