[Care-related Case Management and the experienced burden of informal caregivers: empirical study]

Care-related Case Management and the experienced burden of informal caregivers: empirical study Abstract. Background: Informal caregivers are responsible for the majority of home care in Germany. Their experience of stress is becoming more and more relevant given the tense staffing situation in outpatient professional care in rural areas. Case management as an innovative approach to caring in peripheral areas also focuses on the burden experienced by informal caregivers. Aim: The question arises as to whether care-related case management can have a positive influence on the burden experienced by informal caregivers. Methods: In a mixed-method approach, the influence of case management on the experience of stress is analyzed quantitatively (N = 251) and qualitatively (N = 40) using a pre-post design with a control group. Group difference tests based on the HPS-scale and content analysis of the interviews are conducted. Results: The analyses suggest that case management can have a positive influence on the experience of burden. From a quantitative perspective, there was a stabilizing influence on the experience of burden in the intervention group, while burden increased in the control group. Qualitatively, there was an influence on subjective burden. In particular, the role of the case manager as a central contact person in matters regarding the care situation is relevant. Conclusions: By providing new resources and coping strategies, case management can effectively alleviate the burden experienced by informal caregivers.