[Psychologically guided group meetings for family caregivers of ALS patients].

The ALS caregiver group meetings in the described format were easy to carry out and well accepted. Supportive interventions, such as the one reported here, might be a valuable component of ALS care, to relieve the highly burdened caregivers of ALS-patients by providing them with social, emotional and practical support. However, the quantitative verification of the intervention's effectiveness is challenging - both methodologically and due to the caregivers' complex life situation. Psychosocial support services for ALS caregivers are feasible with little effort and should be an integral part of the standard ALS care based on a multi-dimensional, palliative care concept.