The New York University Caregiver Intervention (known as the “NYUCI”) is a clinical intervention (structured program) originally developed in the 1980s for caregivers of spouses or partners with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. The NYUCI is a “multi-component intervention” (a structured counseling program) individualized for families caring for someone with Alzheimer’s disease or other form of dementia. The NYUCI includes an introductory session and a formal intake assessment, two individual counseling sessions with only the primary caregiver, four family counseling sessions including the primary caregiver and other family members, ongoing support and advice, as needed, and structured follow-up assessments to support the family and monitor change.
The goal of the NYUCI is to help primary caregivers and their family members to be mutually supportive so that they can withstand the challenges of caring for their relative with dementia. Using the NYUCI assessment, counselors get a snapshot of the caregiver’s emotional and physical health, current social support, caregiving responsibilities, and other issues. After reviewing the completed assessment to identify strengths, needs, and sources of stress and family conflict, counselors discuss the assessment results in a session with the primary caregiver, along with the caregiver’s goals for the upcoming family counseling sessions.
The NYUCI has several unique features:
- The inclusion of family members with the caregiver in four structured counseling sessions.
- A comprehensive intake and follow-up assessments to monitor progress and changes in the caregiving situation.
- The availability of unlimited “ad hoc” calls with the counselor between sessions to answer questions and give families the reassurance that they have an expert to consult, when crises or questions occur between sessions.
The NYUCI is widely acclaimed as an “evidence-based intervention” and is recognized by the U.S. Administration on Aging/U.S. Administration for Community Living (AoA/ACL), and has been published in numerous peer-reviewed scientific journals. In addition, it has received national and international awards including the Roselynn Carter Institute (RCI) Leadership in Caregiving Award and the first-ever Award for Psychosocial Intervention Research from Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) and Fondation Médéric Alzheimer.
Research, conducted over 20 years, showed many benefits to the family caregiver (i.e., husband, wife, or partner) including increased satisfaction with emotional and practical support, fewer symptoms of depression, reduced stress, improved physical health, better relationships with family members, and the ability to keep their family member with dementia at home 1.5 years longer, on average, than caregivers who did not participate in the NYUCI.
Since the original study, a three-country research study (United States, England/United Kingdom, and Australia) showed similar benefits, as did a translation program and research study in Minnesota—and hundreds of families have benefited from the NYUCI in other community translations across the country. An intervention based upon the NYUCI is now being used throughout Israel, and a translation has been done in Australia. And in 2016, the governor of New York approved $75 million for caregiver support programs based upon the results of the NYUCI study.
In summary, the NYUCI has made an enormous difference to the well-being of hundreds of families in the United States and around the world by focusing on mobilizing the support of family members.
Watch the video below of Mary Mittelman, DrPH, to learn more about the NYUCI. You can also find more information by clicking the topics to the left.
Introduction to the NYUCI