Context: Research showing the benefit of a combined approach including specific antidementia drugs and psycho-educational programmes for caregivers in the caring of Alzheimer's disease patients is still lacking. We venture the hypothesis that combined treatment including a specific antidementia drug for the AD patient and a psycho-educational programme for the caregivers has a larger benefit for both the patient and the caregiver on psychological, behavioural, and cognitive parameters.~Main objective: to demonstrate that a psycho-educational programme designed to support and train carers of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients induces a significantly higher benefit than anticholinesterase drug treatment alone or associated to memantine treatment.~Secondary objective: identify patterns of responders and non-responders (taking into account cognitive, psychological parameters).~Methodology: national multicentric, randomized trial, single blinded, with 2 parallel groups of 120 patients and 120 caregivers trained for a 3 month period with 3 assessments: before, just after and 3 months after the training period. Patients and caregivers are recruited (according to exclusion and inclusion criteria) and followed up in memory centers participating in the trial.~Evaluation criteria:~Primary criteria for the patient: DAD scale (Disability Assessment for Dementia).~Secondary evaluation criteria - for the patient: NPI and ADAS-Cog; for the caregiver: ZARIT scale, Questionnaire of feeling of competency, Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS).~Statistical analysis by the department of biostatistics and medical computing of the Hospital Cochin will be performed.
The aim of the project is to demonstrate that a psycho-educational programme designed to support and train carers of Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients induces a significantly higher benefit than anticholinesterase drug treatment alone or associated to memantine treatment. This training programme focuses on the explanation/description of behavioral, cognitive and functional disorders induced by the disease, as well as principles of cognitive and psycho-social stimulation of the patients in daily life.