Full Description
Older adults increasingly rely on family members or friends (i.e., informal caregivers) for needed care and support as they age. Family caregivers typically assume their caregiving role willingly and reap personal fulfilment from helping a loved one, developing new skills, and strengthening family relationships. For these benefits, however, caregivers often sacrifice their own health and well-being. Depression, anxiety, poor physical health, and compromised immune function are more common among family caregivers than in adults not providing such care.
The REACH OUT Caregiver Support Program offers a multi-component, tailored, and flexible intervention for caregivers of people with dementia that is focused on the evidence-based therapeutic strategy of problem solving. This practical volume is designed to guide clinicians through the process of implementing REACH OUT (Resources for Enhancing Alzheimer's Caregiver Health: Offering Useful Treatments) and to provide them with necessary tools to share with caregivers, with the goal of enhancing caregiver physical and mental health. Five common risk areas (home safety, caregiver health, social support, challenging behaviors, and emotional well-being) are described in the manual, and interventions are outlined that respect the nuances of each risk area. By beginning with an individualized risk assessment and being flexible to the needs and issues of the caregiver, the REACH OUT intervention helps clinicians identify risk areas and provides caregivers with tailored action plans to reduce risk and promote well-being.
Contents
Chapter 1: Development And Overview
Chapter 2: Risk Appraisal And Action Plans
Chapter 3: Risk Area 1: Home Safety
Chapter 4: Risk Area 2: Keeping The Caregiver Physically Healthy
Chapter 5: Risk Area 3: Caregiver Emotional Well-Being
Chapter 6: Risk Area 4: Managing Challenging Behaviors
Chapter 7: Risk Area 5: Social Support
Chapter 8: Filling In The Gaps
APPENDICES
Appendix A: Caregiver Notebook
Appendix B: Generic Problem-Solving Form: Action Plan Template
Appendix C: Sample Challenging Behavior Action Plans
Appendix D: REACH OUT Home Safety Checklist
Appendix E: Healthy Lifestyle Guide
Appendix F: REACH OUT Pleasant Events Summary Form
Appendix G: ABCs of Challenging Behaviors
Appendix H: Supplemental Material for Deciding Risk Priority
Appendix I: Adverse Events
Appendix J: REACH OUT Clinician Treatment Implementation and Tracking Checklists
