Together in Line, the Power of Informal Care in Group

1. Study design The study has a before-and-after study design, the tailored support will be available for every informal care group and no older civilian will be excluded from an optimal care context, which is required by the social framework of this project. Therefore, no control group will be included in this study. The intervention consists of already existing support, although it is strengthened by means of a self-management tool, the 'Keuzewijzer', which helps the informal care group making specific choices with regard to tailored support, adjusted to their needs, norms and values. By a pre- and post-test, the effect of the intervention on the psychosocial well-being of the informal caregivers can be mapped out.
2. Study population 2.1. Study population definition In this study, informal care groups of older civilians will be included. These civilians will be 70 years or older and have to live independently at home in the Leuven region. The informal care groups consist of two or more relatives, friends or neighbors caring for the older civilian (≥70 years), beyond the scope of professional care or organized volunteering. There are no age restriction for the informal caregivers.

2.2. Inclusion and exclusion criteria Both the older civilians and the informal caregiver give their written consent after being informed. Only civilians aged 70 years or older and their informal caregivers who have a thorough command of Dutch will be included. Older civilians with a formal diagnosis of dementia, too ill to participate or in a palliative phase be excluded. 3. Intervention The intervention, offered to the older civilians and their informal care groups will consist of an updated version of the 'Keuzewijzer', which has been developed in an earlier phase of the research project. This is a self-management tool which stimulates the communication within the informal care groups to make behaved choices concerning the care for the older civilian, taking into account the standards, values, concerns and needs of every informal caregiver and older civilian.

The following aspects will be discussed in the context of the care for the older civilian: 1) analyzing the problem, 2) detection of possibilities or alternatives, 3) clarifying of motives and feelings and 4) weighting between values. The first purpose of this intervention is to develop a care planning focused on the older civilians with a clear distribution of tasks. The second purpose is to stimulate the communication between the informal caregivers and the older civilian, allowing timely adjustments in the care planning and preventing for caregiver burden.

The intervention consist of the following parts: 1) introduction conversation, 2) Keuzewijzer and 3) follow-up conversation. In addition, an evaluation of the intervention takes place at the end of the intervention study (6 months).

3.1. Introduction conversation During this conversation, a researcher will explain the dual purpose of the study, in which on the one hand the psychosocial well-being of the informal caregivers and the older civilian is mapped by means of the personal interviews and on the other hand, tailored support is offered through the intervention.