Effect of a social work liaison program on family caregivers to people with brain injury.
OBJECTIVE
We assessed the effect of a social work liaison program on caregiver outcomes for families caring for people with brain injury.


METHODS
All telephone calls received by the team were entered into a standardized log form to record topics raised by caregivers.


METHODS
We compared the experience of this cohort of traumatic brain injury (TBI) caregivers with the experience of an earlier cohort by use of standard measures of caregiver mental health. Because patients in the cohort had mixed etiologies, we also examined the experience of caregivers according to type of brain injury, comparing cerebrovascular accident with TBI patients.


RESULTS
The social work liaison program offered benefit to caregivers on burden, satisfaction, and mastery outcomes.


CONCLUSIONS
This research suggests that a relatively low-cost, nonintensive intervention may offer substantial benefit to families caring for people with brain injury.
Albert
Steven M
SM
Department of Sociomedical Sciences, Gertrude H. Sergievsky Center, Columbia University, New York, New York 10032, USA. sma10@columbia.edu
Im
Ashley
A
Brenner
Lynda
L
Smith
Michael
M
Waxman
Richard
R
D020208:Brain Injury, Chronic / Q000523:psychology* / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care; D003376:Counseling / Q000458:organization & administration*; D005195:Family Relations; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D008134:Long-Term Care; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012944:Social Support; D012947:Social Work / Q000458:organization & administration*; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires