In Between: Web based CE Program on Caring for Aging Parents

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Nurses and social workers have always held an important communication responsibility with family caregivers but the nature of questions asked by families has changed. Family caregivers require information that often goes beyond the more easily addressed "how to" medical questions to "what and when" questions covering topics not typically included in continuing education. There are several reasons why these needs are changing: " Aging of the population " Rise in multiple chronic conditions " Nature of care and multiple specialist " Diversity of health care options " Complex financial issues related to care " Health disparities in caregiving These factors result in family caregivers requiring information that is unrelated to clinical care but is equally if perhaps not more important. An upcoming WGBH broadcast on "Caring for Aging Parents" emphasizes this unmet need for information, but nurses and social workers have not traditionally been trained to discuss these issues. We propose to develop a web-based CE program for nurses and social workers that focus on the non-medical concerns of families. Specific Aims are: 1. Develop content outline on non clinical needs of family caregivers. 2. Develop one prototype chapter of the course. 3. Demonstrate interactive features. 4. Conduct feasibility assessment. 7. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE Nurses and social workers have always held an important communication responsibility with family caregivers but the nature of questions asked by families has changed. Family caregivers require information that often goes beyond the more easily addressed "how to" medical questions to "what and when" questions covering topics not typically included in continuing education. The purpose of the proposed program is to develop a web-based CE program for nurses and social workers that focus on the non-medical concerns of families.