Education Program for Family Caregivers

NCT ID: NCT00764647

Last Updated: 2017-07-07

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 42 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2006-03-31
• Study Completion Date: 2017-01-31

Brief Summary

The purpose of this evaluation was to determine the effectiveness of an educational program designed to assist family caregivers to learn the knowledge and skills to take better care of their frail elder relatives and themselves.

Detailed Description

Spouses, children, and other family members typically care for frail elderly persons. These family caregivers attempt to provide care for their relative in the home, despite the potential for excessive stress to themselves. This care may extend over many years, involving unrelenting management of their relative, which puts the caregiver at risk for the development of physical and mental health consequences. The stress of caring for a frail elder may result in the institutionalization of the care receiver due to declining health or abilities in the caregiver as caregivers frequently continue to provide care at the expense of their own health. The goal of the education program is to fill an important need, that is, assist caregivers to become empowered, hardier, and have the ability to cope with the stress associated with caregiving. The aim is to investigate whether this educational intervention improves selected outcomes for family caregivers of frail elders. The selected outcomes are knowledge of caregiving, hardiness, quality of life, physical health, depressive symptoms, burden, and coping.

Conditions

Stress

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NA
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Single arm

Education program for family caregivers of frail elders.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Education program for family caregivers of frail elders

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Family caregiver participants in the educational program will receive an educational course presented by the investigator that focuses on the care of the frail elder and themselves. The course will involve four to five consecutive weekly sessions, each 2 1/2 to 3 hours long. The educational program will be offered biannually, spring and fall seasons.

Interventions

Education program for family caregivers of frail elders

Family caregiver participants in the educational program will receive an educational course presented by the investigator that focuses on the care of the frail elder and themselves. The course will involve four to five consecutive weekly sessions, each 2 1/2 to 3 hours long. The educational program will be offered biannually, spring and fall seasons.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• 18 years of age and older
• family member participating in care of a frail elder (60 years and older)

Exclusion Criteria

• unable to speak or read English (materials are written in English)

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

CAMC Health System

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Barbara Nunley, PhD

Associate Professor Faculty Emerita, West Virginia University School of Nursing.

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Barbara L Nunley, PhD, RN

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

West Virginia University School of Nursing

Locations

West Virginia University Robert C. Byrd Health Sciences Center, Charleston Division

Charleston, West Virginia, United States

Countries

United States

References

Sorensen S, Pinquart M, Duberstein P. How effective are interventions with caregivers? An updated meta-analysis. Gerontologist. 2002 Jun;42(3):356-72. doi: 10.1093/geront/42.3.356.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 12040138 (View on PubMed)

Burgio L, Lichstein KL, Nichols L, Czaja S, Gallagher-Thompson D, Bourgeois M, Stevens A, Ory M, Schulz R; REACH Investigators. Judging outcomes in psychosocial interventions for dementia caregivers: the problem of treatment implementation. Gerontologist. 2001 Aug;41(4):481-9. doi: 10.1093/geront/41.4.481.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 11490046 (View on PubMed)

Acton GJ, Kang J. Interventions to reduce the burden of caregiving for an adult with dementia: a meta-analysis. Res Nurs Health. 2001 Oct;24(5):349-60. doi: 10.1002/nur.1036.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 11746065 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

06-02-1779

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id