News From the End of Life: Leaders trained to link caregivers, providers
The National Family Caregiver’s Association (NFCA) in Kensington, MD, has launched an innovative program to help family caregivers communicate effectively with health care professionals. Family caregivers provide over 80% of all home care services, but they receive no formal training or support in their roles. The NFCA program provides family caregivers with the skills and tools they need to help their loved ones get better care.
NFCA kicked off the project with an informative "train-the-trainer" conference in March in Arlington, VA. The 47 preselected attendees were introduced to a curriculum that included effective communication techniques that utilize role-playing to help caregivers practice what they are learning in real-life situations such as a doctor’s office or emergency room. Participants came from as far away as Alaska and included representatives from the American Red Cross, Area Agencies on Aging, health systems, voluntary health agencies, and other health care and faith-based organizations.
Newly trained leaders return to their communities to conduct workshops with family caregivers using the manual designed specifically for the trainers and integrated with the caregiver curriculum and support tools guide.
"One of the greatest challenges family caregivers face is ensuring that a loved one is receiving the best medical care. This is a daunting task when working with a myriad of health care professionals, providers, insurers, and other medical organizations," says Suzanne Mintz, president and co-founder of NFCA. "This program helps family caregivers feel more confident and capable when serving as the voice for a chronically ill, aged, or disabled loved one. It helps them be better advocates for their own needs as well."
NFCA is a grass-roots organization created to educate, support, and speak up for the millions of Americans who care for chronically ill, aged, or disabled loved ones. NFCA reaches across the boundaries of different diagnoses, different relationships, and different life stages to address the common needs and concerns of all family caregivers.
For more information on Communicating Effectively With Healthcare Professionals, contact NFCA at (800) 896 3650, or send an e-mail to [email protected].
You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
- Award-winning Medical Content
- Latest Advances & Development in Medicine
- Unbiased Content