Table 1 Baseline dyads’ characteristics

 Age (years)

82.03 (5.88)

81.94 ( 6.38)

82.12 (5.36)

 1: < 75 years

22 (11.28%)

81.94 (5,88)

82.12 (5.36)

 2: [75–85[ years

108 (55.38%)

13 (13.27%)

9 (9.28%)

 3: ≥ 85 years

65 (33.33%)

49 (50.00%)

59 (60.82%)

 Women

132 (67.69%)

66 (67.35%)

66 (68.04%)

 Elementary or no formal

51 (26.15%)

20 (20.41%)

31 (31.96%)

 Primary school certificate or less

60 (30.77%)

36 (36.73%)

24(24.74%)

 Secondary education/high school

51 (26.15%)

25 (25.51%)

26 (26.80%)

 Bachelor’s degree and higher

33 (16.92%)

17 (17.35%)

16 (16.49%)

 Professional activity in the past

173 (88.72%)

88 (89.80%)

85 (87.63%)

 Living in a marital status

111 (56.92%)

56 (57.14%)

55 (56.70%)

 Alzheimer’s disease

161 (82.56%)

87 (88.78%)

74 (76.29%)

 Mixed dementia (AD and vascular)

34 (17.44%)

11 (11.22%)

23 (23.71%)

 MMSE mean (SD)

17.65 (4.11)

18.12 (4.04)

17.16 (4.14)

[21–26]

51 (26.15%)

30 (30.61%)

21 (21.65%)

[15;20]

77 (39.49%)

38 (38.78%)

39 (40.21%)

[11–15]

67 (34.36%)

30 (30.61%)

37 (38.14%)

Time elapsed since diagnosis (months), (n = 176)

14.57 (19.25)

12.44 (18.97)

16.80 (19.39)

Comorbidities CIRS-G

9.91 (3.85)

9.30 (3.82)

10.53 (3.80)

 ADL

5.33 (0.89)

5.42 (0.79)

5.23 (0.97)

 Score < 6/6 (at least one incapacity)

101 (51.79%)

46 (46.94%)

55 (56.70%)

 IADL (n = 193)

1.61 (1.23)

1.63 (1.24)

(1.22)

 Score 0–1 (≥ 4 incapacities)

102 (52.85%)

52 (54.17%)

50 (51.55%)

 Gait and balance one leg balance < 5 s (n = 184)

121 (65.76%)

60 (64.52%)

61 (67.03%)

 Visual impairment

111 (56.92%)

56 (57.14%)

55 (56.70%)

Hearing impairment

40 (20.51%)

17 (17.35%)

23 (23.71%)

 Quality of life hetero-assessed by caregivers (n = 185)

28.61 (5.24)

29.33 (5.12)

27.84 (5.27)

 Quality of life self-assessed by patients (n = 145)

33.93 (6.03)

33.66 (5.53)

34.24 (6.59)

 NPI total score (n = 178)

21.77 (18.40)

22.25 (18.82)

21.26 (18.05)

 Delusions

43 (22.05%)

17 (17.35%)

26 (26.80%)

 Hallucinations (n = 194)

38 (19.59%)

13 (13.40%)

25 (25.77%)

 Agitation or aggressiveness (n = 193)

105 (54.40%)

50 (51.02%)

55 (57.89%)

 Depression/dysphoria (n = 194)

116 (59.79%)

59 (60.82%)

57 (58.76%)

 Anxiety (n = 194)

140 (72.16%)

74 (75.51%)

66 (68.75%)

 Euphoria

41 (21.03%)

23 (23.47%)

18 (18.56%)

 Apathy

115 (58.97%)

51 (52.04%)

64 (65.98%)

 Disinhibition, (n = 190)

51 (26.84%)

20 (20.83%)

31 (32.98%)

 Irritability (n = 194)

125 (64.43%)

61 (62.24%)

64 (66.67%)

 Aberrant motor activity (n = 194)

40 (20.62%)

21 (21.43%)

19 (19.79%)

 Sleep disorders (n = 192)

73 (38.02%)

35 (36.08%)

38 (40.00%)

 Eating disorders (n = 192)

76 (39.58%)

37 (38.54%)

39 (40.63%)

 Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors or NMDA receptor blocker

96 (49.23%)

43 (43.88%)

53 (54.64%)

 Psychotropes

46 (23.59%)

25 (25.51%)

21 (21.65%)

 Antipsychotic drug

5 (2.56%)

1 (1.02%)

4 (4.12%)

 Anxiolytics

19 (9.74%)

8 (8.16%)

11 (11.34%)

 Sedative

8 (4.10%)

7 (7.14%)

1 (1.03%)

 Antidepressant therapy

26 (13.33%)

14 (14.29%)

12 (12.37%)

 Physical therapist

27 (13.85%)

13 (13.27%)

14 (14.43%)

 Ergotherapist

4 (2.05%)

2 (2.04%)

2 (2.06%)

 Psychologist

1 (0.51%)

0 (0.00%)

1 (1.03%)

 Speech therapist

24 (12.31%)

19 (19.39%)

5 (5.15%)

 Day care centre

12 (6.15%)

6 (6.12%)

6 (6.19%)

 Home help (daily living activities)

38 (19.49%)

18 (18.37%)

20 (20.62%)

 Domestic help (cleaning)

23 (11.79%)

15 (15.31%)

8 (8.25%)

 Nurse

58 (29.74%)

26 (26.53%)

32 (32.99%)

 Specialized nurse

6 (3.08%)

3 (3.06%)

3 (3.09%)

Home meal deliveries

2 (1.03%)

1 (1.02%)

1 (1.03%)

B. Caregivers’ characteristics ^a

Total population

n = 195

Intervention

n = 98

Control

n = 97

 Age (years)

65.75 (12.62)

66.13 (12.59)

65.36 (12.69)

 ≤ 65

106 (54.36%)

49 (50.00%)

57 (58.76%)

 > 65

89 (45.64%)

49 (50.00%)

40 (41.24%)

 Gender = women

126 (64.62%)

60 (61.22%)

66 (68.04%)

 Primary school certificate or less

29 (15.10%)

14 (14.43%)

15 (15.79%)

 Secondary education/high school

60 (31.25%)

30 (30.93%)

30 (31.58%)

 Bachelor’s degree and higher

103 (53.65%)

53 (54.64%)

50 (52.63%)

 Professionally active (or in the past) (n = 191)

179 (93.72%)

92 (94.85%)

87 (92.55%)

 Child

102 (52.31%)

48 (48.98%)

54 (55.67%)

 Spouse

83 (42.56%)

44 (44.90%)

39 (40.21%)

 Brother or sister

1 (0.51%)

0 (0.00%)

1 (1.03%)

 Nephew/niece

3 (1.54%)

1 (1.02%)

2 (2.06%)

 Daughter-in-law or son-in-law

6 (3.08%)

5 (5.10%)

1 (1.03%)

 Living in a marital status

160 (82.05%)

85 (86.73%)

75 (77.32%)

 Caregiver living at home with the patient

104 (53.33%)

54 (55.10%)

50 (51.55%)

 Patient and caregiver living apart

91 (46.67%)

44 (44.90%)

47 (48.45%)

 <  6.21 miles

53 (27.18%)

25 (25.51%)

28 (28.87%)

 >  6.21 miles

38 (19.49%)

19 (19.39%)

19 (19.59%)

 1: < 1 year

53 (27.46%)

26 (26.80%)

27 (28.13%)

 2: between 1 and 3 years

84 (43.52%)

42 (43.30%)

42 (43.75%)

 3: > 3 years

56 (29.02%)

29 (29.90%)

27 (28.13%)

 Hours of caregiving per week

21.67 (13.66)

22.68 (15.19)

20.65 (11.91)

 Medical chronic condition

67 (34.36%)

38 (38.78%)

29 (29.90%)

 Zarit score (n = 194) mean

30.89 (15.77)

29.97 (16.19)

31.83 (15.36)

 1: [0–20]

58 (29.90%)

41 (41.84%)

40 (41.67%)

 2: [20–40]

81 (41.75%)

24 (24.49%)

31 (32.29%)

 3: > 40

55 (28.35%)

55 (56.70%)

58 (59.79%)

 Quality of life (NHP score)

119.60 (112.00)

119.18 (108.65)

120.02 (115.78)