Telephone Caregiver Support Groups

SUMMARY

This article describes the Telephone Support Group Model (TSG), a 12-week group work intervention designed to provide support to caregivers. Telephone support groups provide assistance for hard-to-reach caregivers. Caregivers who are traditionally deterred from face-to-face groups because of social constraints, geographic isolation, or physical limitations, or who are homebound because of the needs of the care recipient, are more able to participate in telephone support. A description of the 12 TSG sessions is provided. Two case examples are provided that illustrate the therapeutic benefits of TSG for caregivers and their families. Adaptations necessary for conducting telephone groups, and the advantages and disadvantages of this type of group work, are discussed. Strategies for evaluating the quality of telephone interventions are also described.

Key Words:

• Support groups
• elderly
• caregiving
• telephone groups
• teleconferencing
• technology