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PaCs — Future Parkinson Caregivers - PaCs — Pilot study for a preventive e-mental health support programme for relatives of Parkinson patients

Description

Parkinson's disease (PD), with its motor and non-motor symptoms, can have a significant psychosocial impact on the quality of life of PD patients and their families. Patients' increasing loss of autonomy in coping with the challenges of daily life often leads to a gradual dependence on the support of family members. In most cases, the family members themselves do not receive any support. We call family members of people with Parkinson's disease who are in the early stages of the disease and do not yet need care 'future Parkinson's caregivers'.

In this trial, for the first time, we are offering this group of carers the opportunity to receive 6 weeks of preventive support through a psychosocial intervention. Among other things, the aim is to strengthen their own resources so that they can draw on them during the course of the disease and in stressful situations. The counselling service is part of an innovative telemedicine approach and is delivered via videoconferencing. The idea is that family members can easily integrate this form of support into their own daily lives.

The evaluation follows a mixed methods approach. Semi-standardised questionnaires and a neuropsychological test battery will complement the qualitative, semi-structured interviews that will be used as an essential part of the study. In this way, the family members' assessment of the preventive, telemedical and psychosocial intervention will be recorded. It is planned to transfer the results of the pilot study to a randomised controlled trial.
Partners in the research project are the Clinical Psychology Group of the Department of Psychology at the Philipps University of Marburg and the Departments of Medical Psychology | Neuropsychology [1] and Gender Studies at the Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne of the University of Cologne [2].

Sources

[1] https://www.uni-marburg.de/de/fb04/team-rief

[2] https://medizinische-psychologie.uk-koeln.de/abteilung-medizinische-psychologie/leitung-team/

Contact

PD Dr. David Pedrosa
Telefone: 06421/58 - 65299
Telefax: 06421/58 - 67055
david.pedrosa@staff.*

Mrs. Stefanie Spriewald (study coordinator)
Telefone: 06421/58 - 65299
Telefax: 06421/58 - 67055
Stefanie.Spriewald@med.*

* please add "uni-marburg.de" for a full email-address.