A training program to reduce distress among geriatric caregivers

Caregivers of the residents in nursing homes are exposed to a high degree o f physical and mental stress. The purpose of this study was to develop and to test the effects of skill training aimed at reducing occupational stress . The training consisting of 12 sessions of 90 minutes each was designed fo r nursing assistants and for care supervisors, respectively. Contents of th e program are communicating with the demented, coping with job stress and c ooperating with colleagues and subordinates, respectively. Eleven homes for the elderly and nursing homes were involved in the pilot s tudy; 88 caregivers participated in the training, 34 of them were superviso rs and 54 nursing assistants. The participants mainly appreciated the conte nts of the training. A controlled study design was applied to evaluate the training effects. 56 participants assessed their competencies, their job conditions and their he alth status at the beginning, at the end of the training as well as 12 week s after the intervention had been finished. 56 persons completed the questi onnaire receiving no training. Among the training participants, particularl y the self-care skills improved. In addition, occupational stress could be reduced and the climate with the residents improved significantly, whereas the frequency of health promblems did not change. Compared to the changes a lso observed in the control group, statistically significant effects were c onfined to the improvement of the climate with the residents. Care supervis ors in general reported a higher benefit from the training than did nursing assistants. The results of the pilot study were used to adapt the training to the careg ivers' needs.