HOME-BASED ASSESSMENT FOR FAMILY CARERS - A PREVENTATIVE STRATEGY TO IDENTIFY AND MEET SERVICE NEEDS

Objective. To identify unmet need for services among family carers and their frail or disabled relatives and to facilitate links to services . Design. Intervention study with a subgroup of carer dyads from a ran dom statewide survey of family carers, followed by telephone 2 months post intervention.Setting. Carer dyads in general community; urban and rural Victoria. Participants, All 186 identified carers were approach ed, One-third of the dyads were ineligible; of the remainder, 67 (53%) participated, matching refusals on sociodemographic characteristics. Carers were typically married, middle-aged women looking after parents or spouses. Almost half of the care recipients were aged greater than or equal to 80; most had multiple disorders and impairments. Follow-u p rate was 94%. Intervention. One off, multidisciplinary home-based as sessment of dyad by research team and regional aged care assessment se rvice (ACAT). Main outcome measures. 'Unmet need': % dyads recommended new services; number services per dyad via ACAT; increases in service range; extension of pre-existing services. Service linkage: % dyads l inked to new services; perceived usefulness of linkages. Main results. Dyads recommended a new service (93%); increased range (73%); extensi ons (41%). Average two services requiring ACAT implementation; commonl y respite care, aids and paramedical services. Recommendations related to impairment severity and carer stress. ACAT implemented recommendat ions (90% relevant dyads); links rated useful (75% relevant dyads), Th ree-quarters of the carers rated intervention as helpful. Conclusion. A preventative programme of needs assessment for carer dyads has consi derable potential; (a) identifying needs and engaging new services; (b ) providing emotional support.