Using Community Health Workers to Support Rural Care Partners of Seriously Ill Older Veterans
VA Office of Research and Development
Summary
The investigators aim to support care partner's well-being and satisfaction with VA care and decrease their work burden by offering extra support from a trained Community Health Worker who will help connect the care partner to helpful resources in their communities and in the VA. The investigators also hope to help Veterans well-being and satisfaction with VA care by supporting their care partner more sufficiently allowing the care partner to focus on caregiving tasks.
Description
Aim 1: Determine CSNAV effectiveness in increasing rural Veterans' well-being, reducing rural care partner burden, and increasing rural care partner/Veteran satisfaction with VA care in the intervention group compared with the usual care (CSP) group. The investigators will apply a 6-month intervention in a randomized control trial over 27 months. Primary Outcome: (H1) Care partners randomized to intervention group will have lower mean Zarit-1216 burden scores at 6 months compared to the control group. Secondary Outcomes: (H2) Care partners and Veterans randomized to the intervention group will…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18+ years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria: Care Partner Inclusion Criteria * A relative, friend, or partner (18 years of age) with whom Veteran patient has a personal relationship who assists Veteran regularly with care and/or care coordination as defined under "Veterans" below * Residing in a rural area based on RUCC or Rural-Urban Continuum Codes83 * Must be enrolled in CSP Program of General Caregiver Support Services * Can live with or separately from the Veteran; able to communicate in English by phone Veteran Inclusion Criteria * Receiving care at Durham, Asheville, and Richmond VA Health Systems (e.g., at…
Interventions
- OtherRemote Community Health Worker support
trained/certified community health worker supporting care partner remotely
Location
- Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NCDurham, North Carolina