SAVVY Caregiver

Savvy Caregiver is recognized nationally as a leading evidence-based dementia family caregiver training program.Savvy programs are designed to provide the most relevant dementia knowledge, skills, and mastery to support family members as they provide care for their relative or friend living with dementia. Savvy Caregiver programs have been proven to decrease family caregiver distress, burden, and depression, while increasing caregivers’ sense of competence and confidence in their care role. Savvy Caregiver provides person-centered, active-learning programs in a variety of formats that integrate core principles and insights from gerontology, nursing, family systems, and occupational therapy. Families learn strategies to enhance their own self-care as well as day-to-day time with their person

Savvy presents easy-to-understand information, skills, and strategies so that family caregivers can deal more effectively with the demands of dementia caregiving. The program emphasizes knowledge of dementia diseases and promotes caregiver self-care.

6 week / 2 hour sessions

Group education and care-related skills-training for caregivers of persons living with dementia focused on understanding the course of the illness, strategies for coping with symptoms, and encouraging persons living with dementia to participate in daily activities.

The program helps to provide

- - Coping and stress management
  - Encouraging Enjoyable activities to do together
  - Managing and reducing symptoms
  - Improving knowledge and skills related to care.

Savvy curriculum empowers caregivers by enabling them to:

- - - - Gain a better understanding of Alzheimer’s and related dementias.
      - Develop self-care strategies.
      - Learn skills and strategies to successfully provide daily activities of ‘Contented Involvement’ for their family member living with dementia.
      - Identify and engage family and other resources for care-related assistance and support.

Savvy Caregiver 6-Week Program materials include:

- - - - Detailed Training Manuel
        Caregiver’s manual for home use
        Training videos
        Training PowerPoint class slides
        Handouts

Who can attend ?

SAVVY is recommended for family members or caregiver of someone with dementiaDoes the program replace existing programs ?

The program does not replace any existing programs or treatment. In fact, the classes are designed to enhance caregiving skills for family caregivers.

What can I expect from the class ?

Each session uses a combination of instruction, interactive exercises, and home assignments for participants to learn Savvy concepts and apply them to their own caregiving situations. The goal is for family caregivers to feel confident and competent in their care role so that they can make the most of their time with their person who is living with dementia.

Details of program

Savvy Caregiver was originally developed and validated for in-person, community-based delivery in 6 weekly sessions. In-person classes remain the most popular format, but Savvy has expanded to include other formats and delivery methods such as a 3-week program, advanced content, and a tele-delivered version. Savvy presents easy-to-understand information, skills, and strategies so that family caregivers can deal more effectively with the demands of dementia caregiving. The program emphasizes knowledge of dementia diseases and promotes caregiver self-care. Each session uses a combination of instruction, interactive exercises, and home assignments for participants to learn Savvy concepts and apply them to their own caregiving situations. The goal is for family caregivers to feel confident and competent in their care role so that they can make the most of their time with their person who is living with dementia. Savvy Caregiver was created at the University of Minnesota and originally published/copyrighted in 2002. Its content and materials have since been adapted and translated by research teams at Emory University and other collaborating organizations. All Savvy Caregiver programs are copyrighted and trademarked, and must be used under license and with permission. It is not public domain or “open source” material, even when funded by state or federal grants. Since 2006, University of Minnesota has assessed licensing fees on select Savvy programs.

The Savvy Express program is a shorter version of the original Savvy Caregiver program delivered over a 3-week period (instead of a 6-week period). As with the original Savvy, Savvy Express is designed to benefit someone providing care for an individual living with memory loss, dementia, or Alzheimer’s disease but who may not have the time to complete the traditional 6-week program.

Savvy curriculum empowers caregivers by enabling them to:

Gain a better understanding of Alzheimer’s and related dementias.
Develop self-care strategies.
Learn skills and strategies to successfully provide daily activities of ‘Contented Involvement’ for their family member living with dementia.
Identify and engage family and other resources for care-related assistance and support.