Abstract
In a growing global trend, individuals are migrating to other countries to live with and care for older adults with dementia. Although this trend addresses the geriatric workforce shortage, workers and older adults often experience distress. In a pilot study in Israel, six migrant care workers participated in a six-week group intervention in which they learned to increase valued, enjoyable activities for themselves and the older adult with whom they lived (behavioral activation). After the intervention, workers reported that they increased activities for themselves and the older adult and were satisfied, and quality of life and sense of achievement showed medium and large effect sizes, respectively. Participants suggested adapting the intervention to an online format for greater access. Although findings are tentative, the study points to promising strategies for migrant home care workers: focusing on the worker and older adult and offering online interventions.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 219-235 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| Journal | Home Health Care Services Quarterly |
| Volume | 41 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2022 Taylor & Francis.
Funding
Amber Gum, Ph.D. was supported by a Fulbright Core Scholar Award (2015-2016) from the U.S. State Department to conduct this research in Israel. She was hosted by the Louis and Gabi Weisfeld School of Social Work at Bar Ilan University. This work was supported by the Fulbright Association; Amber Gum, Ph.D. was supported by a Fulbright Core Scholar Award (2015-2016) from the U.S. State Department to conduct this research in Israel. She was hosted by the Louis and Gabi Weisfeld School of Social Work at Bar Ilan University. The authors would like to acknowledge the migrant home care workers at the participating institution, who are dedicated to caring for their care recipients, participated in the intervention and study, and provided valuable feedback.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| Fulbright Core | |
| U.S. Department of State | |
| Fulbright Association | |
| Bar-Ilan University |
Keywords
- Behavior
- behavioral activation
- caregiving
- dementia
- mental health therapy
- migrant workers
