Health literacy needs related to incontinence and skin damage among family and friend caregivers of individuals with dementia.

J Wound Ostomy Continence Nurs

Donna Bliss, PhD, RN, FAAN, FGSA, Professor, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Cheri Rolnick, PhD, MPH, Senior Researcher, HealthPartners Research Foundation, Bloomington, Minnesota. Jody Jackson, BSN, RN, Senior Research Project Manager, HealthPartners Research Foundation, Bloomington, Minnesota. Casey Arntson, BSN, RN, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Jean Mullins, BSN, BA, RN, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. Kenneth Hepburn, PhD, Professor, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia.

Published: April 2015

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to describe health literacy needs related to incontinence and skin care among family or friend caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer disease (AD) and develop supportive and educational materials that address these needs.

Design: Descriptive.

Subjects And Settings: The sample included 48 family/friend adult caregivers of individuals who had advanced dementia. Caregivers were spouses (44%), daughters (31%), or extended family members/friends (25%) recruited from community-based agencies, with a mean age of 64 ± 14 years (mean ± SD), and 75% were female. Nearly half (48%) had a racially or ethnically diverse background.

Methods: Focus groups, interviews, and written surveys were conducted to assess health literacy needs of AD caregivers related to incontinence and skin care; verbal responses were audiotaped, transcribed, and summarized. To address these needs, a set of educational and supportive materials was developed, whose content was directed by caregiver responses and supported by a literature review of current evidence and consultation with clinical and research experts. Study procedures were guided by an advisory committee of AD caregivers.

Results: Caregivers had numerous health literacy needs related to incontinence and skin care; areas of need were categorized into knowledge, skills, and attitudes. Caregivers expressed a need to validate the health literacy they possessed. Fourteen educational and supportive documents were developed to address these needs.

Conclusion: Materials developed in this study are suitable to incorporate into interventions that support caregivers of persons with AD. They offer the potential to raise health literacy and care capacity of caregivers, increase communication with health care providers, and improve health outcomes of care recipients.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3900878PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/WON.0b013e3182a3ff24DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

health literacy
24
incontinence skin
16
literacy incontinence
12
caregivers individuals
12
skin care
12
caregivers
9
health
8
family friend
8
friend caregivers
8
educational supportive
8

Similar Publications

Food allergy poses substantial social, economic, and quality of life burdens which are even heavier for families that are struggling with food insecurity. In the United States (US), food insecurity disproportionately affects vulnerable and historically marginalized communities, such as Latino/a/x and Black households. Targeting these disparities via our recent Food Equality Initiative (FEI) research intervention was challenging due to the barriers faced by the target underserved populations, which included poor digital literacy, language barriers, and limited access to necessary resources.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Interest, uptake, and feasibility trial of a real-life digital health intervention to improve lifestyle in Brazil.

Digit Health

January 2025

Secretaria do Estado de Educação do Distrito Federal, Escola Técnica de Ceilândia, Educação à Distância. Distrito Federal, Brazil.

Objective: Promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors is essential for preventing and managing chronic and mental health conditions. This study aims to present a digital health platform accessible via PC or smartphone, , designed to foster lifestyle change among the Brazilian population. It evaluates interest, uptake, acceptability, usability, adherence, and retention over 12 weeks.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic in Malawi exacerbated, existing public health challenges including access to HIV treatment and care services. "Life Mapping," a component of the Citizen Science community-led project in Malawi, documented the lived experiences and perspectives of people living with HIV in the context of COVID-19.

Methods: Citizen Science Life Maps is a three-year qualitative, longitudinal project utilizing collaborative and participatory research methods through digital storytelling to document peoples' daily lives.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Visual Art and Medical Narratives as Universal Connectors in Health Communication: An Exploratory Study.

J Health Commun

January 2025

Northern NSW Local Health District, Lismore, NSW, Australia.

Health-related information can often be overwhelming for consumers resulting in difficulty in interpretation and application. Historically, art and narratives have played key roles in communication within diverse populations however collectively have received little recognition as a means to enable health literacy. This study aims to investigate patient/caregiver narratives and visual art as a modality to improve knowledge translation and health literacy in the wider community.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Objective: While using digital technologies for social health is widely acknowledged, the relationship between loneliness, social isolation, and digital health literacy remains unknown. This study aimed to assess the levels of loneliness, social isolation, and digital health literacy in older women living alone and to explore the associations between these factors.

Methods: In August 2021, a cross-sectional survey was conducted on 145 older women living alone, selected using convenience sampling.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!