A time for me: A virtual program to engage African American caregivers

Area of Science:

• Community-based participatory research
• Gerontology
• Public Health

Background:

• African American family caregivers face unique self-care challenges.
• Community-engaged approaches are vital for developing relevant support programs.
• Virtual platforms offer accessible solutions for caregiver support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and implement a virtual self-care program for African American family caregivers.
• To evaluate the experiences and needs met by the program.

Main Methods:

• A community-engaged approach was used to design a half-day virtual self-care program.
• An electronic survey with Likert-type and open-ended questions assessed attendee experiences.
• Inductive content analysis was employed to examine survey responses.

Main Results:

• All 11 survey respondents agreed or strongly agreed the program met their needs.
• Attendees valued the opportunity for self-care, learning new things, accessing resources, and shared experiences.
• The virtual format provided a dedicated space for caregivers to focus on themselves.

Conclusions:

• Virtual self-care programs can effectively support the health and well-being of African American women caregivers.
• Community-engaged design enhances program relevance and impact.
• Accessible virtual resources are crucial for addressing caregiver self-care needs.