For a study, researchers sought to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a well-established lay navigator palliative care intervention modified for Hispanic carers of people with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia. The navigator-led intervention was compared to usual improved care in a randomized controlled experiment. Enrolled dyads were Hispanic carers of people with severe Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease. Caregivers in the intervention group got roughly 5 home visits centered on addressing goals and values in preparation for future healthcare decisions and caregiver support. All groups got culturally appropriate teaching materials. The primary outcomes were the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention. Caregiver Reaction Assessment (CRA) and Family Decision-Making (FDM) Self-Efficacy Scale were two caregiver-reported assessments. Acceptability and intervention satisfaction were investigated using qualitative interviews (n=10).
They discovered 54 potentially eligible patients, 7 of whom were ineligible, 2 of who were deceased, and 8 of who were unable to contact. As a result, 24 of the 37 dyads contacted enrolled (64%). The average patient age was 80.4±7.9 years, while the average caregiver age was 51.2±12.1 years. The majority of patients (58.3%) and caregivers (91.7%) were women. In comparison to patients, fewer caregivers (20.8%) had less than a high school diploma (62.5%). The baseline CRA load was low, 2.7±0.1 (1 least to 5 most), with the interrupted schedule showing the highest-burden (1.5±0.6). At baseline, FDM self-efficacy was high (61.3±7.1 [scale range 5-65]). The intervention was highly useful to the majority of carers, who identified resources, knowledge, and responses to queries as main participation advantages.
While the pilot indicated feasibility (>50% enrolment, 100% follow-up), high acceptance, and modest baseline caregiver burden, caregivers did not feel prepared for future healthcare choices at baseline, suggesting that that part of the intervention might be less useful.
Reference:www.jpsmjournal.com/article/S0885-3924(22)00497-3/fulltext
