Caregivers' Strengths-Skills: Managing Older Cancer Patients' Symptoms

Caregiver education and training programs that specifically target caregiver informational and training needs during the survivorship period have been limited. In recognition of families' direct involvement in health care decision-making, health advocacy and care provision, programs are needed that can maximize families' caregiving abilities and skills and provide them with the information and resources they may need to identify and address elderly cancer patients' post-treatment symptom management. The goal of this study was to implement and evaluate the efficacy of a short-term problem-solving skills training program (relative to participating in a caregiver support group) for familial caregivers to lower income older (55+) post-treatment cancer patients.

Sex

All

Minimum age

18 Years

Patient Inclusion Criteria:

1. Have a cancer diagnosis
2. Have completed active treatment
3. Be an older adult, aged 55 or older
4. Have a family member who is their caregiver
5. Understand English or Spanish
6. Not be severely cognitively impaired

Patient Exclusion Criteria:

* Patient must be in the post-treatment period

Familial Caregiver Inclusion Criteria:

1. Be 18 or older
2. Live with or have frequent (at least weekly face-to-face) contact with patient
3. Understand English or Spanish

Familial Caregiver Exclusion Criteria:

* Not be severely cognitively impaired

• BACKGROUNDRaveis VH, Tobin J, Karus D, Zhou R, Faber KE, Carrero M, Estrada I. Family caregiving to older, minority cancer survivors living in the community: Perspectives from a randomized control trial of caregiver problem-solving skills training. The Gerontologist 51(S2):496, 2011.
• BACKGROUNDRaveis VH, Tobin J, Karus D, Faber K, Zhou R, Carrero M, Estrada I. Family caregiving transitions: Addressing the care needs of older adults during the cancer survivorship period. The Gerontologist 50(S1): 475, 2010.
• RESULTRaveis VH, Karus D, Zhou R, Carrero-Tagle M, Faber K, Estrada I, Tobin JN. FamCare: Cognitive-behavioral problem solving training for family caregivers to cancer survivors. Gerontologist 56(Suppl_3): 684, 2016.