n=6Average pre-test score: 71.5Average post-test score: 68.5

Results: The results show that caregiver self-efficacy decreased over the course of the study.

Caring for Others, Caring for SelfSM

Fall 2015Dr. Cheryl Dye, Dr. Xi Pan, Dr. Lingling Zhang (faculty mentors)

Barbara Carsten, Paulina Kordonis, Hannah Johnson, Erin Lang, Katie Sutcliffe, Elizabeth West, Kaitlyn Greiner, Apsley Allen,

Meagan Huff, Taylor Lott, Johanna Rennhack, Alex BaoBackgroundFor six semesters, CI teams have studied the impact of interventions including thoughts and deep breathing on heart rate variability (HRV) of older adults. Low HRV is associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality (Thayer et al., 2010) and is an indicator of the balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. HRV can be measured by a monitor called the emWave2 which indicates the percentage of time that HRV is in three levels of “coherence”. Previous work (n= 55) investigated the effects that sensory stimuli such as aromas, music, nature images as well as thoughts and breathing had on HRV . The results from this work showed an increase in coherence from baseline (mean= 19.54, SD= 17.24) for nature image (mean= 27.29, SD= 21.41) and for positive thoughts (mean= 26.07, SD= 24.06). There was also an increase from baseline to the post reading (mean= 21.15, SD= 18.91). In Fall 2015, study participants were family caregivers of those with dementia. Study activities focused on reducing their stress which was measured by HRV and their perceived burden and self-efficacy related to caregiving as measured by surveys.Research Question for Fall 2015How do study activities including stress management and caregiving education affect the HRV, perceived burden and self-efficacy of caregivers of those with dementia?MethodsIn Fall 2015, study participants attended CI activities at a church setting (n=10), a retirement community (n=2), and a clinical setting (n=4) for a total of 16. The effects of positive thoughts and deep breathing on HRV was measured during a 2.5 minute emWave2 reading.Baseline HRV was recorded for for 2.5 minutes while the participant was asked to sit, with no other instructions.FrustrationHRV was recorded for 2.5 minutes while participants thought about a frustrating time. Positive ThoughtsHRV was recorded for 2.5 minutes after being instructed to focus on thoughts of gratitude and appreciation.

DemographicsFemale: 81%Male: 19%

Caucasian: 93.75%Hispanic: 6.25%

Age 50-60: 1Age 61-70: 5Age 71-80: 9Age 81-90: 1

Low Moderate High Severe0123456

Perceived Level of Burden Pre and Post Data

PrePost

n=16

Zarit Burden Interview – Short VersionThis survey measures the burden felt by an individual caring for a relative. A higher score demonstrates a higher level of burden. Participants answer a series of questions about how he or she feels on a scale of never, rarely, sometimes, quite frequently, or nearly always . A score of 0-3 represents low burden, 3-8 moderate burden, 9-18 high burden, and >18 severe burden.

n=9Average pre-test score: 18.66 Average post-test score: 17.11

Results: Results show that the average level of burden decreased from the beginning of the program to the end. The graph represents the number of people with low, moderate, high, and severe level of burden for both the pre and post-test.

HRV Results: The results show that positive thoughts increased coherence (avg =31.4375) from thoughts of frustrations (avg = 21.1875) and from baseline (avg =30.6875).

Caregiver Self-Efficacy Questionnaire

This questionnaire of 10 items asks the caregiver to rank their perceived level of certainty in their ability to provide care to their loved one Questions are answered using a scale of 1-10 with 1 being uncertain and 10 being very certain. A higher score represents a higher level of perceived self-efficacy.

Percentage of HRV Reading Time in High Coherence (n=16)