PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:~I. Develop methods of assessing and supporting family caregiving skills in providing complex care.~II. Develop family caregiver (FCG) teaching materials and methods of instruction to enhance skills preparedness.~III. Pilot test the intervention in a cohort of underserved FCGs.~OUTLINE:~Participants attend 2 teaching sessions with a research nurse. Participants also complete questionnaires at baseline, 3, and 7 weeks.
This clinical trial develops and tests a model of family caregiver education focused on the role of underserved family caregivers as providers of complex care in the home. Cancer patients have symptoms from their cancer or treatment and are then supported by family caregivers at home with tasks requiring technical skill. Family caregivers are often asked to provide complex care whether it involves decisions about managing symptoms or providing technical care for ports/pumps, tubes, or devices. Family caregivers often are not given enough information on how to provide care for patients at home needing complex care. The results from this study may help researchers refine and improve the intervention for caregivers through future research for caregivers on a much larger scale.