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No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

The growing number of seniors in Canada and worldwide has highlighted the significant role of people providing unpaid care to their loved ones, who are so-called “family caregivers”. A great number of family caregivers are employees working in the paid labor market, who experience additional difficulties as a result of multiple responsibilities in their daily lives. This group of caregivers has to cope with continuous work-related tensions in addition to their daily caregiving burdens. In multicultural nations such as Canada, a great number of caregiver-employees also belong to the immigrant community. While immigrant caregiver-employees (CEs) are faced with extra challenges compared to other CEs, limited research is available for this underrated and overlooked population. This group of CEs have the challenging task of working from home while providing intensive care for their loved one. Therefore, the home environment is an everyday space highly susceptible because of daily spatial and temporal tensions. The current research aims to explore the experience and tensions of Iranian immigrant caregiver-employees in order to assist them in managing their ever-growing responsibilities in the home environment by providing a set of specific home modification strategies. Initially, CEs major tensions and management strategies are identified by in-depth qualitative interviews. A novel Photovoice methodology is implemented to illustrate these tensions exclusively through self-captured photos. Five major themes are identified for the tensions, which are categorized as: (i) personal, (ii) caregiving, (iii) spatial, (iv) family and social, and (v) temporal tensions. The management strategies utilized by caregivers to cope with these tensions are also organized into five additional themes: (i) spatial, (ii) personal, (iii) social, (iv) monitoring and control, and (v) assistive and supportive strategies. Although, these management strategies are effective in resolving some of the tensions, specific tensions remain unmanaged for immigrant CEs’. Unmanaged tensions are analyzed under the therapeutic landscape framework to improve CEs’ health and well-being. A comprehensive list of architectural home modification strategies is proposed to relieve CEs’ tensions in the home environment. Finally, an ideal home is pictured for Iranian immigrant CEs, considering their most significant spatial, natural, symbolic and social requirements. The outcomes of the current research will assist immigrant CEs in managing their daily tensions while performing their working and caregiving responsibilities. The proposed home modification strategies will minimize CEs’ tensions to a large scale, improve their level of mental and physical health, and increase their quality of life. Furthermore, the current research results in increased safety and independence for the care recipients. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Background: Communication is key to expressing oneself and, in healthcare, communication may be compromised due to different limitations. In dementia care, relatives often take on the role of caregivers for their loved one and thereby adopt a role of advocacy. With this role communication with healthcare staff becomes a necessity. However, certain factors affect the way communication is perceived. Since nurses in Sweden have laws and ethical codes as well as a description of competence to follow to ensure that health is promoted and good care given, the knowledge of communication factors is a necessity. Aim: The aim of this study was to describe the factors affecting the communication between healthcare staff and caregivers in dementia care. Method: The chosen method was literature review and nine scientific articles from 2012-2022 were analysed. Results: The analysis resulted in the following themes and subthemes: Affected perception with the subthemes Frustration, stress and concern, Language barriers.Staff qualifications and commitment with the subthemes Lack of competence, Inadequate information, Staff presence and display of interest. Availability with the subthemes Support and correct information, Teamwork, Cooperation and participation and Good competence. Conclusion: The results showed that communication with caregivers was affected by lack of staff and knowledge in dementia care. When staff were unavailable, caregivers experienced that they were left out and kept uninformed. This caused them to feel frustrated and stressed and affected their communication skills. To prevent this, staff need to gain more knowledge in dementia care, should make themselves available and be able to provide accurate and timelyinformation.

The purpose of this project was two-fold. First the intent was to learn about the strengths of caregivers and bring the more latent view of caregivers as "strengthed" rather than stressed to the forefront. Second, the study explored the usefulness of applying a competency-based therapy approach to caregiver issues and experiences. Specifically, twelve caregivers of adults were self-referred and participated in a weekly group over the course of a six week time frame. The study addressed a gap of a strength discourse in the literature on adult caregivers, and also provides important information about the breadth of the applicability of a competency-based therapy approach with older adults in a group setting. A qualitative research design was employed, the approaches of ethnography and action research were the specific types of qualitative methods for this project. An analysis was performed of qualitative data that consisted of transcripts of fieldnotes and audiotaped focus group interviews. Six major themes that emerged from the analysis of the data included: self-care, guidance, togetherness, separation, relationship with family members, and caregivers as experts. These themes are discussed as they relate to caregiver strengths. Suggestions for future research and for clinical practice are considered in conjunction with the need to provide valuable information about family enrichment with caregivers, and new interventions that build on a strength discourse. / Ph. D.

The ratio of occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) to those who need occupational therapy (OT) services in the Philippines is one in every 30,000 (Delos Reyes, 2018). The country is composed of regions, some of which do not have OTPs while 55.12% are in the National Capital Region (NCR) (PAOT, 2017). Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, OT practice began to utilize telehealth as a service model (Delos Reyes et al., 2021). Telehealth allowed Filipino OTPs to reach clients, primarily children with developmental disorders, in their homes. However, Longo et al. (2020) posits that many parents do not feel prepared and motivated to participate actively in the rehabilitation of their children with disabilities. Typically, parents have not participated in therapy activities with their children, which is needed in telehealth (Eguia & Capio, 2022). Agaton and Cueto (2021) wrote training programs for parents should be provided on effective learning at home, dealing with child’s behavior, and technical support for online learning in order for them to have the same readiness. There is a need to explore the effectiveness of a program called Therahan in the Philippines to increase the family participation and satisfaction in the use of telehealth for OT services. Tirahan is a Filipino word for place of living. Before proceeding to telehealth sessions, all parents, guardians, grandparents, and carepartners of children with special needs will participate in a hybrid e-helper training program called Therahan which offers asynchronous sessions through printed or digital self-learning modules. These modules contain evidence-based information, steps, and practical tips on technical support, environmental modification, and behavioral management that are useful for telehealth, as well as synchronous sessions for coaching and guidance in applying gained knowledge and developing skills needed for effective telehealth services.

Purpose: Research shows that caregivers raising children with disabilities (CoDs) are at a higher risk of decreased health and wellbeing (Bourke-Taylor et al., 2022). Limited research exists to guide OTP intervention to promote caregiver well-being. This mixed methods study aimed to gather information on caregiver experiences regarding facilitators and barriers for occupations and wellness while raising a child with a disability between the ages of 3-21. Design: The mixed-methods design utilized surveys and a semi-structured interviews to gather data from 27 primary caregivers of a CoD aged 3-21 in the United States. Participants also needed to have access to the internet, be proficient in English, and were recruited via convenience and snowball sampling from social media and research team outreach. Methods: Surveys and semi-structured interviews were used to gather information regarding caregiver health, wellness, and occupational engagement. Surveys completed on Qualtrics included measurement tools such as the Parent Effort Scale, Health Promoting Activities Scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale, and Well-Being Scale. Interviews were conducted via Zoom with audio transcription. Data analysis used SPSS and qualitative coding. Results: Identifiable facilitators and barriers significantly correlated to caregiver health and wellness and the unique challenges of raising a CoD. Caregivers reported a desire for programs to engage in health and wellness promoting activities and occupations. Conclusion: Findings identified challenges that caregivers of CoD face and highlight the role of occupational therapy in supporting their needs. Findings drove the development of the program “PromOTing a Healthier You” to address the needs of caregivers from an occupational perspective. Impact Statement: This study's findings, offer impactful, concrete insights for OTP development of health promotion interventions for this population. / Temple University. College of Public Health / Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

No / Objectives: The sociocultural model of stress and coping, which despite receiving support from several studies conducted with diverse ethnic groups, has yet to be tested longitudinally or used within the context of positive caregiver outcomes. The aim of the current study was to test a specific component of the model, which posits that caregiver coping will be influenced by the cultural value of familism (feelings of solidarity and loyalty among family members), which will in turn affect caregiver outcomes. Method: A questionnaire was completed by 123 family caregivers in the UK assessing familism, use of coping strategies, caregiver gains, anxiety and depression at three time points over nine months. Results: Mediation analysis followed guidelines proposed by Baron and Kenny. Religious coping and positive reframing at time 2 (T2) were found to significantly mediate between familism values at time 1 (T1) and caregiver gains at time 3 (T3). Behavioural disengagement at T2 was found to mediate between familism at T1 and caregiver depression atT3. Additionally familism was found to be positively associated with both negative and positive aspects of caregiving. Conclusion: Our longitudinal findings suggest that interventions and services acknowledging caregiver values and the associated coping responses may prove beneficial.