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.
Purpose: 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.
Findings: 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.
