Impact of a student-driven wellness program for individuals with disabilities on caregivers and family members

Aim: Few studies have addressed impact of participation in exercise programs on caregivers or family members of individuals with disabilities.Purpose: To evaluate the impact of interaction rich wellness program on family members or caregivers of participants.Methods: Nine family members or caregivers were selected for interviews. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using a thematic approach.Results: Five themes were constructed from analysis of the interview data: benefit of class to self, positive feelings about participation, relationship dynamic, importance of classroom interaction, and burden of class. The first four themes occurred in caregivers despite individual burden determined by self-reported interview scores on the Zarit Burden interview.Conclusion: This study demonstrated the impact of an interaction rich exercise program on wellness of participants with disabilities and respective caregivers or family members. Caregivers or family members do acknowledge benefits of the program to themselves. However, the program does not reduce caregiver burden.Implications for RehabilitationRehabilitation professionals should be cognizant of the potential for indirect benefit of rehabilitation or exercise programs on family members or caregivers of patients.Rehabilitation programs should consider the indirect benefit on the caregivers of patients when evaluating the burden of a program on caregivers.Rehabilitation professionals should focus on interpersonal interaction to aid in positive outcomes for both patients and caregivers.