Designing a Resource Guide to help promote health in caregiving

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Health Psychology
• Nursing Education

Background:

• Caregiving responsibilities can overshadow personal health needs.
• Healthcare professionals can support caregiver well-being.
• The Self-Care TALK intervention aims to foster partnership between professionals and caregivers.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development of a Resource Guide.
• The guide is a component of a theory-based intervention to support caregiver self-care.
• To illuminate caregivers' self-care knowledge and reinforce self-care activities.

Main Methods:

• Content development guided by adult learning theory and the schema model of cognitive behavioral theory.
• Materials adapted from literature to stimulate conversations on personal self-care concerns.
• Focus on content, readability, graphic design, and self-evaluation for guide development.

Main Results:

• The Resource Guide standardizes the Self-Care TALK protocol while personalizing self-care for caregivers.
• It provides structure for discussions about the definition and promotion of self-care.
• The guide was developed considering caregivers' learning needs and health promotion imagery.

Conclusions:

• The Resource Guide fosters a learning environment tailored to older caregivers' experiences.
• It enhances caregivers' self-care vocabulary and understanding.
• The guide aids in clarifying self-care schemas and supports health promotion efforts.