Caregivers' Experiences Regarding Training and Support in the Post-Acute Home Health-Care Setting

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Health Services Research
• Caregiver Support

Background:

• Post-acute home health-care (HHC) services are crucial for older adults transitioning home after hospitalization.
• Family caregivers play a vital role in this transition and require adequate training and support.
• Understanding caregiver experiences is essential for enhancing family-focused care strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore family caregivers' experiences with training and support for managing physical functioning (PF) needs.
• To identify facilitators and barriers in caregiver learning within the post-acute HHC setting.
• To gather insights for improving family-focused training and support interventions.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative descriptive study design.
• Semi-structured telephone interviews conducted with 20 family caregivers.
• Conventional content analysis of transcribed interviews.

Main Results:

• Identified facilitators to learning, including prior experience and effective learning methods.
• Identified barriers such as self-directed learning, communication challenges, and logistical issues.
• Highlighted the impact of interactions with home health-care providers, including their training and knowledge.

Conclusions:

• Family caregivers are receptive to learning strategies for managing older adults' physical functioning needs.
• Caregivers provided valuable suggestions for improving family-focused training and support.
• Home health-care providers can utilize these findings to tailor support for family caregivers in post-acute settings.