Educational intervention in family caregivers of older adults with chronic illness or disability: Pilot and feasibility study

Abstract
Introduction: Older adults often require care from others, usually from relatives who must have knowledge and abilities.
Objective: Determine feasibility and acceptability of an intervention offered to family caregiver of older adults; explore preliminary effects of family caregivers’
knowledge management of disease.
Methodology: Pre-post study, eight sessions with one group. Participants were family caregivers recruited from a university clinic. The educational intervention (information, and practice) included themes expressed by caregivers (focus groups).
Caregiver’s satisfaction with the intervention was explored (duration, utility and content applicability), among others. They responded to a knowledge questionnaire, caregiver’s burden test and interrupted schedule subscale.
Results: Out of 17 caregivers who started the intervention 12 completed all sessions (70.58% retention). They expressed duration was accurate and themes were useful. Wilcoxon test showed improvement in knowledge (Z = -2.94, p = .003, increase 19.44 points). Even though the score on the interrupted schedule decreased (8.33 points) it did not reach significance (Z = -1.56, p = .12), nor the caregiver burden scale (Z = .944, p = .34).
Discussion and Conclusions: Results showed significant increase in knowledge.
The study was feasible, nevertheless with betterment aspects.
Keywords: Chronic disease, dependency, family care, older adult, educational
intervention.