Impact of Penny Brohn UK’s Living Well course on informal caregivers of people with cancer

Jolliffe, R., Durrant, J.R., Seers, H., Churchward, S.F., Griffiths, M., Naidoo, M., Ben-Arye, E., Polley, M.J. and Zollman, C. 2018. Impact of Penny Brohn UK’s Living Well course on informal caregivers of people with cancer. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 24 (9-10), pp. 974-980. https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2018.0195

TitleImpact of Penny Brohn UK’s Living Well course on informal caregivers of people with cancer
TypeJournal article
AuthorsJolliffe, R., Durrant, J.R., Seers, H., Churchward, S.F., Griffiths, M., Naidoo, M., Ben-Arye, E., Polley, M.J. and Zollman, C.
Abstract

Objectives: This study evaluated the change in the concerns, wellbeing and lifestyle behaviours of informal caregivers of people with cancer attending Penny Brohn UK’s Living Well Course (LWC), a self-management education intervention.

Design: A pre-post-course design collected self-reported quantitative and qualitative data from informal caregivers attending a LWC.

Setting/Location: Penny Brohn UK is a UK based charity (not-for-profit) providing specialist integrative, whole person support, free of charge, to people affected by cancer.

Subjects: Informal caregivers taking part in a Penny Brohn UK LWC between June 2014 and May 2016 attending alongside the person with cancer.

Intervention: The LWC is a structured 15 hour, multi-modal group self-management educational course, designed to help people affected by cancer learn tools and techniques to help build resilience. Trained facilitators deliver LWCs to around 12 people with various types and stages of cancer, and their informal caregivers.

Outcome measures: MYCaW (Measure Yourself Concern and Wellbeing) completed pre-course and at 6 weeks post-course; and bespoke 6 week follow up Patient Reported Experience Measure (PREM).

Results: 480 informal caregivers attended a LWC June 2014 to May 2016. 118 completed a 6 week follow up MYCaW: MYCaW Concerns 1 and 2 showed statistically significant improvements (p<.0001), there was no significant improvement in wellbeing. Informal caregivers’ most reported concerns relating to themselves were psychological and emotional issues (59%). The primary concern of the caregiver for the care recipient was related to the physical health of the person with cancer (40%). 87% of responding informal caregivers stated the LWC enabled health self-management.

Conclusions: The LWC was followed by an improvement in informal caregivers’ concerns, and increased self-management of their own health needs. More studies, with larger sample size, are needed to explore if better self-management by informal caregivers may also lead to improvements in patients’ health and wellbeing.

KeywordsInformal caregivers, Supporters, MYCaW, Holistic support, Cancer, Integrative Care
JournalJournal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine
Journal citation24 (9-10), pp. 974-980
ISSN1075-5535
Year2018
PublisherMary Ann Liebert
Accepted author manuscript
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1089/acm.2018.0195
Publication dates
Published24 Sep 2018

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