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Table 2 Care support theme and content

From: An individualized telephone-based care support program for rural family caregivers of people with dementia: study protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial

Theme

Objective

Content

1. Caregiver Burden

Provide knowledge about the negative influence of stress.

Strengthen family caregivers’ skills in managing the care burden.

• Provide education on caregiving, stress, and safety.

• Teach stress management strategies: for example, stretching exercises, breathing exercise.

2. Difficult behaviours

Enhance family caregivers’ ability to manage difficult behaviours.

• Provide knowledge about dementia symptoms.

• Provide step-by-step strategies to manage specific difficult behaviours.

• Conduct brainstorming of difficult behaviours management strategies.

3. Depression

Provide skills in mood management.

Enhance family caregivers’ psychological well-being.

• Provide knowledge about the importance of psychological well-being.

• Teach family caregiver how to engage in pleasant events.

• Teach family caregiver how to manage mood.

• Establish a schedule of pleasant events.

4. Self-care and healthy behaviours

Enhance family caregiver’s physical well-being and teach self-care behaviours

• Provide knowledge about preventive health practices and self-care.

• Teach healthy behaviours (e.g., physical exercise, sleep, nutrition, adherence to prescribed medication)

5. Social support

Enhance family caregiver’s social support, and care support

• Provide knowledge about the importance of social support.

• Teach family caregiver to access community resources and refer to resource guide.

• Teach communication skills with health professionals and other family caregivers

• Strengthen participation of telephone-based support sessions.