1. How Is the Caregiver Doing? Capturing Caregivers' Experiences With a Reflective Toolkit.
- Author
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Bosch L, Kanis M, Dunn J, Stewart KA, and Kröse B
- Abstract
Background: This paper describes the Co-Care-KIT, a reflective toolkit designed to provide insights into the diverse experiences of home-based informal caregivers during the delivery of care to a relative or loved one., Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the toolkit, including a custom-designed journal, tools for photography-based experience sampling, and heart rate tracking, which enables caregivers to collect and reflect on their positive and negative daily experiences in situ., Methods: A 2-week field study with informal caregivers (N=7) was conducted to evaluate the Co-Care-KIT and to capture their daily personal emotional experiences. The collected data samples were analyzed and used for collaborative dialogue between the researcher and caregiver., Results: The results suggest that the toolkit (1) increased caregivers' awareness of their own well-being through in situ reflection on their experiences; (2) empowered caregivers to share their identities and experiences as a caregiver within their social networks; (3) enabled the capturing of particularly positive experiences; and (4) provided caregivers reassurance with regards to their own mental health., Conclusion: By enabling capturing and collaborative reflection, the kit helped to gain a new understanding of caregivers' day-to-day needs and emotional experiences., (©Lilian Bosch, Marije Kanis, Julia Dunn, Kearsley A Stewart, Ben Kröse. Originally published in JMIR Mental Health (http://mental.jmir.org), 28.05.2019.)
- Published
- 2019
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