I created a 6-week caregiver education program for unpaid caregivers of people living with dementia in their homes.
Name: Jenn Workman, ppOTD, OTR/L
School: Chatham University
Capstone setting: Community
Virtual / In-person / Hybrid: Combination of virtual and in-person
Method/Design/Approach:
Combination of Zoom education sessions and in-person home visits to personalize modifications and recommendations for each participant. Utilized quantitative and qualitative data.
Results/Outcomes:
Participants’ perceived confidence in their role as a caregiver increased. Although largely unchanged, participants’ knowledge of dementia had a smaller increase from pre- to post-test as related to the perceived confidence of caregivers.
All nine participants reported after the project that they found great value in the individualized home visits and the completion of the Kawa model worksheet related to their knowledge (though quantitative results were largely unchanged) and confidence.
Conclusions
This project was successful and impactful to all nine participants, and reports were unanimous that the two home visits were most helpful.
2-3 ideas for future directions to build on this project:
The program could be lengthened; the sessions could be completed in-person (as opposed to the Zoom sessions used during the study due to COVID); this could be incorporated into a Level II FW experience.
Reflections on how you see this project influencing your OT career trajectory:
I have been an AFWC and an instructor in an OTA program for 10 years now, and while I love my job, I would love to create a company based on my Capstone project. My inspiration was my parents and I would love to give back to my community by providing education to dementia caregivers.
Deliverables:
Workman Capstone.pdf (3.9 MB)