A study led by Albert Gallart, lecturer in Nursing at UIC Barcelona, shows that a training programme aimed specifically at healthcare staff caring for dependent older people has helped to reduce their burden of care. The study conducted a pioneering analysis on the effectiveness of a training programme on caregiver burden over time.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), the European population is ageing. Given this century's family dynamics, formal caregivers without academic qualifications are becoming increasingly necessary to complement the care provided by family members. Formal caregivers without academic qualifications are employees who lack official training. They care for our older relatives and often experience an excessive burden due to the care they provide as part of their job.
With this in mind, Dr Gallart –together with other UIC Barcelona lecturers Jenifer Malumbres, Marisa Martín and M. Ángeles de Juan, in collaboration with Anna Pérez, from the Home Care Foundation at the Hospital Sant Joan de Déu– has led the study which aims to support caregivers in their work.
Albert Gallart explains how “until before this study, nobody knew whether training in elderly care could reduce the stress associated with caregiving, hence this research that was carried out over five years with 86 caregivers”.
The article describes the results twelve months after completing a training programme on elderly care and self-care skills. “It is very effective training in terms of reducing the burden of care”, explains Dr Gallart, “although it does not last for more than a year. We are seeing the need for follow-up sessions”.
The results of this study titled “Effectiveness of an educational intervention to reduce the burden on home care workers and facilitating factors: A pre-post study” have been published in the journal Science Direct.
