Distance Caregiving of CI Elders Living Alone at Home

孔院独居长者的远程照顾

• 批准号: 7227252
• 负责人: LAZELLE E BENEFIELD
• 金额: $ 7.15万
• 依托单位: UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA HLTH SCIENCES CTR
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2005
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2005-08-01 至 2009-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/7227252
• 关键词: caregivers; clinical research; cognition disorders; focus groups; geographic site; human old age (65+); human subject; patient care management; perception; socioenvironment; technology /technique development

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Informal caregivers, often family members, care for 22 million older adults in the US, including 3 million with cognitive impairment. Nearly one-third of these families provide care coordination, independence maintenance, and socialization for elders from a distance greater than a 60 minute drive from the caregiver. Caregiving for cognitively impaired (Cl) elders on-site imposes a heavy emotional, physical, and financial toll on caregivers. Caring at a distance further complicates caregiving roles. The exact nature of distance caregiving needs for families caring for Cl elders living alone at home is unexplored, yet essential for planning clinically significant interventions to address the needs. At issue are problems of less physical contact with elders and greater coordination of services from afar. Modem computer / video technology with telecommunication innovations suggest a means for dialogue, remote wellness checking, information seeking and decision-support that could potentially bridge significant socialization and communication gaps by distance. However, these modalities remain relatively untapped. There is a need to provide evidence to inform the selection/customization of technology-based interventions to support distance family caregivers in a way that fosters independence and quality of life for Cl elders. This study is a first step in a program of research to accomplish this goal. Aims of this preliminary, descriptive study are to describe and prioritize caregiving concerns of distance caregivers, identify caregiving facilitators, identify technology-based interventions to address priority concerns, and explore caregivers views of feasibility of the selected interventions. Focus group interviews of a purposive sample of culturally diverse distance family caregivers (n=48) of Cl elders will be qualitatively analyzed to identify caregiving concerns and facilitators. A panel of experts in technology, elder care and cognitive impairment, and caregiving, and a long distance caregiver, will identify technology-based interventions to address priority concerns. Caregivers who composed the focus groups will then assess feasibility and usability of the recommended technologies. Understanding caregiving needs of distance caregivers should enable development and testing of user-friendly interventions for caregivers and promote cost-effective care delivery and beneficial outcomes for Cl elders.

描述(由申请人提供)：非正式照顾者，通常是家庭成员，在美国照顾2200万老年人，其中包括300万有认知障碍的人。其中近三分之一的家庭为距离照顾者60分钟车程的老年人提供护理协调、独立维护和社交服务。在现场照顾认知受损(CI)老年人会给照顾者带来沉重的情感、身体和经济上的损失。远距离照顾使照看角色变得更加复杂。对于照顾独居在家中的CL老人的家庭来说，远程护理需求的确切性质尚未被探索，但对于规划具有临床意义的干预措施以满足这些需求是必不可少的。争论的焦点是减少与老年人的身体接触和加强远方服务的协调。具有电信创新的现代计算机/视频技术为对话、远程健康检查、信息寻求和决策支持提供了一种手段，可能会在距离上弥合重大的社交和沟通差距。然而，这些模式相对来说仍未得到开发。需要提供证据，为选择/定制以技术为基础的干预措施提供信息，以支持远距离家庭照顾者，以促进老年人的独立性和生活质量。这项研究是实现这一目标的研究计划的第一步。这项初步的描述性研究的目的是描述远程照顾者的护理关切并确定其优先顺序，确定护理促进者，确定以技术为基础的干预措施以解决优先关注的问题，并探索照顾者对选定干预措施的可行性的看法。焦点小组访谈的目的样本文化不同的远方家庭照顾者(n=48)的CL长辈将被定性地分析，以确定照顾关注和促进者。一个由技术、老年人护理和认知障碍以及护理专家组成的小组，以及一名远程护理人员，将确定以技术为基础的干预措施，以解决优先关注的问题。然后，组成焦点小组的护理人员将评估推荐技术的可行性和可用性。了解远程照顾者的护理需求应该能够为照顾者开发和测试用户友好型干预措施，并促进成本效益高的护理提供和对老年人有利的结果。