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EVALUATING THE CARTER INSTITUTE CAREGIVER EDUCATION PROGRAM AT THE VA
Project Number E4044-R funded
by RR&D.
October 1, 2005 -
September 30, 2008
The Rosalyn Carter Institute’s (RCI’s) program has been used many times, but never within the VA. Furthermore, even in community applications it has not undergone formal evaluation to assess long-term effects for formal and informal caregivers and patients. Thus, this project has the potential not only to enhance the VA’s complement of services for older veterans and their families, but also to demonstrate clearly the strengths of the RCI program.
This project will implement and evaluate the Rosalyn Carter Institute’s (RCI’s) educational and support program for caregivers, "Caring for You, Caring for Me." Specifically, it will examine effects of the program upon family caregivers to elderly veterans receiving outpatient primary care at the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC).
Primary objectives of the research are:
1) to evaluate user satisfaction with and perceived utility of the "Caring for You, Caring for Me" caregiver educational program among formal (VHA staff) and informal (family) caregivers who undergo the program,
2) to assess effects of the program upon psychosocial and physical well-being of informal caregivers over a 1-year period,
3) to estimate effects of the program upon health status and service utilization of veterans whose family caregivers undergo the caregiver intervention, and
4) to determine whether an augmentation of the program, using structured follow-up to help caregivers apply program principles and knowledge, enhances its effects upon out-comes to caregivers and veterans.
The project has two secondary objectives, designed to build a foundation for further re-search by elucidating selected processes and effects of the intervention upon caregivers’ and veterans’ well-being. They are:
1) To lay a foundation for widespread implementation of the program, including feasibil-ity, cost, and health utility gains for informal caregivers, and
2) To explore characteristics of veterans and their family caregivers that influence imme-diate and long-range outcomes of the intervention.
A 3-group longitudinal study will evaluate short- and long-term effects of the intervention on family caregivers and veteran care recipients. Matched groups of FCGs (see below for matching criteria) will be randomized to receive (1) the 5-week educational intervention only, (2) education plus ongoing support from a VHA social worker, or (3) "usual care" (control). All three groups will be tracked for one year post-intervention. Data collection will occur at baseline/Time 1 (immediately pre-intervention), 6 months (Time 2), and 12 months (Time 3). In addition, participants in the two intervention groups will complete evaluations of the RCI program on its completion. Formal (staff) caregivers will participate in the intervention on a voluntary basis, and will also complete evaluations at the end of the 5-week program.
Briefly, following a 6-month start-up and initial sample recruitment period,baseline interviews will begin in Month 6 and continue for 10 months. Educational intervention sessions will commence a month later, with a new session beginning about every 4 weeks. Six- and 12-month follow-up interviews will take place during Months 14-29. Data preparation and analysis will be ongoing as data are acquired. The final 5 months of the 3-year project will be devoted to final data analysis and re-port preparation.
No findings or results to report at this time.
Data collection.
This project has the potential not only to enhance the VA’s complement of services for older veterans and their families, but also to demonstrate clearly the strengths of the Rosalyn Carter Institute’s (RCI’s) program.
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