Community-based "powerful tools" intervention enhances health of caregivers

Family caregiving is prevalent and may have adverse impacts on health, particularly for elder caregivers who tend to have chronic health conditions which need ongoing self-management. Interventions that empower family caregivers to take care of themselves are needed. This study examined the impact on caregivers of participation in a self-care skill-building, self-efficacy enhancing, community-based program called powerful tools for caregiving (PTC). We assessed health-risk behaviors, self-care, and psychological well-being among 118 adult caregivers who participated in PTC in western Washington state between July 2001 and June 2004, about half of whom were aged 65 or older. Health-risk behaviors were reduced and self-care and psychological well-being improved significantly, overall and for each stratum of age (> or =65 years of age versus <65).