Document Type
Capstone
Abstract
This capstone project aims to investigate alternative approaches for home health occupational therapy practitioners to educate caregivers on self stress-management techniques. The demographics of the caregivers are female adults caring for an elderly ill spouse or friend in the caregiver's home. Literature reviewed supports the efficacy of using complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) to manage stress (i.e. lavender essential oil, mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), and yoga). The guide was designed by the occupational therapy student with the objective to provide occupational therapy practitioners in the home health setting a guide that is evidence-based and follows health literacy standards. The objectives for occupational therapists is to improve therapists understanding of CAMs, increase comfort in implementing the techniques, and how to properly document implementation of the guide with caregivers. A single-group, pre- and post-survey design was carried out with eight occupational therapist (OT) and occupational therapy assistants (OTA) through purposive sampling in which I00% (n= 8) completed the pre-survey and demographic questionnaire, with the exception of one question on the demographic questionnaire. Sixty-three percent (n= 5) were compliant with attending the virtual presentation and completing the post-survey in its entirety. All eight participants are currently employed in the home health setting. Pre- and post-surveys utilized four 5-point ordinal Likert scale questions and three multiple choice questions to examine the therapists' current familiarity and application of CAMs in practice prior to and following virtual presentation attendance and distribution of the guide. The post-survey data demonstrated that after exposure and education to CAMs there was a 25% to 37.5% increase in familiarity with essential oil, MBSR, and yoga techniques as well as a familiarity of evidence-based research that corresponds with CAM techniques. There was a positive change in therapist comfort in providing education to caregivers and documenting caregiver education implementation. The positive change improved from 100% who were "somewhat familiar" to "not familiar" to 100% were "somewhat familiar" to "very familiar".
Publication Date
2016
Recommended Citation
Huffman, Allison, "A Guide for Caregiver Self Stress-Management" (2016). MOT Student Capstones. 104.
https://riches.cabarruscollege.edu/mot-student-capstones/104
