Pilot of a Communication Program for Dementia Caregivers Using Improvisational Techniques

Background/Objectives: This paper is a brief report on a novel pilot program called Improv to Improve for family dementia caregivers to build resilience, communication skills, and improve social caregiving situations in order to reduce caregiver burden and low mood. Methods: We conducted a 6-week improv training for family caregivers including pre- and post-program evaluation of caregiver mood utilizing the Beck Depression Inventory and the Zarit Burden Interview and care-recipient symptoms with the Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire. Results: Six family caregivers participated in the pilot project and reported small improvements (d = 0.28) in caregiver’s mood and significant improvements in care-recipient’s symptom severity and distress (d = 0.50). Participants all reported agreeing or strongly agreeing with program satisfaction questions and found the training to be useful. Conclusions: These findings have implications for broader implementation of improvisational techniques for educating family dementia caregivers.