Poster Session #2

Presentation Type

Poster

Faculty Mentor’s Full Name

Zoa Phillips

Faculty Mentor’s Department

Communicative Sciences and Disorders

Abstract / Artist's Statement

Title: Caregivers: Lost in the Rehabilitation Rush

Purpose: The purpose of this retrospective analysis was to investigate the effect of counseling intervention on psychosocial well-being for caregivers of people with aphasia (PWA) in the context of an intensive comprehensive aphasia program (ICAP).

Methods: Participants include eight patients with aphasia and their family caregivers who participated in the summer 2018 intensive comprehensive aphasia program (ICAP) at the University of Montana. Prior to and immediately following treatment, all participants underwent comprehensive cognitive-linguistic and psychosocial evaluation. The ICAP included 4.5 hours of treatment per day, 4 days per week, for 4 weeks. ICAP treatment included individual, group, and technology-based speech and language therapy sessions for PWAs. Family caregiver education sessions were provided once per week by speech-language pathologists, and family caregiver group counseling sessions occurred twice weekly by a licensed family counselor. Caregiver outcomes were measured by the Beck Depression Index, Second Edition (BBDI-2) and the Beck Hopeless Scale (BHS). Results and implications of these measures will be discussed.

Significance: The significance of this project is multifaceted. The ICAP treatment model is relatively unexamined, and the ICAP at the University of Montana is the only ICAP with an interdisciplinary collaboration between speech-language pathology and licensed family counseling to address caregiver outcomes. Caregivers need professional counseling to help them cope with the burdens of caregiving and to improve the communication between the caregiver and the PWA. Evidence suggests that caregivers who have peer support have improved psychosocial well-being and feel less socially isolated. By including the caregiver in the recovery process, professional counseling can help aid in the communication of the family cohort, creating an improved environment in which the person with aphasia can recover. Researching counseling outcomes will allow healthcare professionals to provide the highest quality of care for the family unit.

Category

Social Sciences

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Apr 17th, 3:00 PM Apr 17th, 4:00 PM

Caregivers: Lost in the Rehabilitation Rush

UC South Ballroom

Title: Caregivers: Lost in the Rehabilitation Rush

Purpose: The purpose of this retrospective analysis was to investigate the effect of counseling intervention on psychosocial well-being for caregivers of people with aphasia (PWA) in the context of an intensive comprehensive aphasia program (ICAP).

Methods: Participants include eight patients with aphasia and their family caregivers who participated in the summer 2018 intensive comprehensive aphasia program (ICAP) at the University of Montana. Prior to and immediately following treatment, all participants underwent comprehensive cognitive-linguistic and psychosocial evaluation. The ICAP included 4.5 hours of treatment per day, 4 days per week, for 4 weeks. ICAP treatment included individual, group, and technology-based speech and language therapy sessions for PWAs. Family caregiver education sessions were provided once per week by speech-language pathologists, and family caregiver group counseling sessions occurred twice weekly by a licensed family counselor. Caregiver outcomes were measured by the Beck Depression Index, Second Edition (BBDI-2) and the Beck Hopeless Scale (BHS). Results and implications of these measures will be discussed.

Significance: The significance of this project is multifaceted. The ICAP treatment model is relatively unexamined, and the ICAP at the University of Montana is the only ICAP with an interdisciplinary collaboration between speech-language pathology and licensed family counseling to address caregiver outcomes. Caregivers need professional counseling to help them cope with the burdens of caregiving and to improve the communication between the caregiver and the PWA. Evidence suggests that caregivers who have peer support have improved psychosocial well-being and feel less socially isolated. By including the caregiver in the recovery process, professional counseling can help aid in the communication of the family cohort, creating an improved environment in which the person with aphasia can recover. Researching counseling outcomes will allow healthcare professionals to provide the highest quality of care for the family unit.