Caregivers and professionals partnership caregiver resource center: assessing a hospital support program for family caregivers.
BACKGROUND
Given that 71% of caregivers nationally report that they are caring for someone with a long-term or chronic illness, providing support to families-from diagnosis to the bereavement phase--is essential.


OBJECTIVE
This paper describes an exploratory assessment of a hospital-based support program for family caregivers, the Caregivers and Professionals Partnership (CAPP) Caregiver Resource Center. The goal of the program evaluation was to understand the challenges facing caregivers who used the Center, how social workers intervened and the results of their interventions. Authors suggest that caregivers benefit from social work interventions that focus both on the emotional impact of caregiving and the multiple resource issues caregivers face.


METHODS
Social workers assisted more than half of participating caregivers with emotional coping issues as well as referrals to community resources. In approximately 75% of cases, social workers followed up with caregivers to engage them in services and ensure that they received ongoing support.


RESULTS
From the perspective of Resource Center social workers, their interventions enhanced caregivers' abilities to cope with their responsibilities.


CONCLUSIONS
Supporting caregivers over time and following up to ensure that they access needed services are critical ways to help them cope with care of a loved one. Future research can focus on how to engage caregivers who are isolated or too overwhelmed to ask for help in order to increase their use of caregiver assistance programs.
Dobrof
Judith
J
Cancer Support Team, Mamaroneck 10543, and Department of Social Work Services, Mount Sinai Medical Center, Hunter College School of Social Work, New York, NY, USA. jdobrof@cancersupportteam.com
Ebenstein
Helene
H
Dodd
Sarah-Jane
SJ
Epstein
Irwin
I
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000451:nursing*; D005260:Female; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012944:Social Support