This study explored the brain health-related stressors, coping strategies, and support needs of cardiac arrest survivors and their caregivers, while also gathering feedback on a proposed brain health lifestyle intervention for this community. Researchers conducted focus groups and interviews with survivor-caregiver pairs recruited in part through the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation’s Cardiac Arrest Survivor Alliance (CASA).
The team included Alexander M. Presciutti and Sarah M. Perman, members of SCAF’s Advisory Council, as well as Mary Newman, co-founder of the Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation.Participants described stressors including survivors’ cognitive changes, concerns about possible future decline, and the impact of caregiving responsibilities. They shared strategies that helped them adapt, including peer support, mental health care, acceptance strategies, physical activity, and practical tools such as organizational aids, visual reminders, and pacing activities.
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SOURCE: Aging & Mental Health