Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the outcomes and participant-reported benefits of a multiple sclerosis (MS) caregiver education programme called ‘Meeting the Challenges of MS’. Nineteen caregivers were recruited to this community-based pilot study; 12 completed all sessions. Occupational therapists facilitated five 2-hour weekly sessions, addressing strategies to problem solve the physical and emotional challenges of caregiving. Questionnaires were administered before and after the programme to determine if changes were achieved in caregivers' self-efficacy, abilities to prepare for and manage caregiving challenges, and abilities to monitor and implement personal health-promoting strategies. Focus groups obtained participants' feedback on the programme. All study procedures were approved by the university ethics committee.
The participants reported that they were more prepared for their caregiving role (p = 0.02), were able to reframe their experiences positively (p = 0.01) and sought more practical assistance (p = 0.02). Some tests performed poorly and need to be re-examined to determine their potential for use in future studies. Feedback from the participants emphasised the value of interacting with and learning from other caregivers to develop effective problem-solving strategies and obtain peer support.
The research team concluded that efforts are needed to address recruitment challenges and improve outcome measures to move this work forward. The participant feedback suggests that these efforts are worth pursuing.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.