Enhancing Carers' Skills for Employability and Quality Care

1. Content Materials to Raise Employabilityand Reinforce Skills of Carers (CARERS)Supported by the Program Lifelong Learning of the European UnionGermain Weber – Barbara Brehmer – Elisabeth ZeilingerUniversity of Vienna – Faculty of Psychology

2. CARERS – Background • Demographic change leads to increasing request for qualified carers • 75% persons are cared for by family members or untrained staff (Austrian ministry for labour, social affairs and consumerism, 2007) • 3 challenges for the EU • Access to care for everyone • High quality of care • Financial sustainability of the health care systems • Connected to the EU-Project “ECL-European Care License” (Leonardo da Vinci)

3. CARERS – Project Facts Project-Number: ES/ LLP-LdV/TOI/149063 Duration of project: 01.11.2007 – 31.10.2009 Total budget: 336.595,00 Euro (EC 252.446,00 Euro) Project partners: • Project Management: Institute for Lifelong Learning – University of Barcelona • Université de Toulouse le Mirail (F) • Social Innovative Network, Graz (A) • Universität Wien, Fakultät für Psychologie (A) • Université du Luxembourg (L) • CARITAS Lithuania (LT) • Stowarzyszenie Pomocy Osobom Niepełnosprawnym, SPON (PL)

4. CARERS – Tasks • Development of 6 trainings (à 8 hours) in 6 languages • Pilot Study (Lithuania) • Training of the 6 modules for 300 informal carers in 6 countries by 30 trainers (France, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Austria, Poland, Spain) in 2009 • Improvement of material by evaluation of (Luxembourg) • Trainers (Usability) • Participants (pre/ post – questionnaires) • „Best Practice Guide“: Sample of experiences of all partners, how to compose and design training material • National and international publications of goals and activities of CARERS project (Vienna) • Creating a Webpage • International Closing Conference in Brussels, October 2009 (Graz)

5. Pre/Post - Questionnaire

6. CARERS – Webpage http://www.carers-project.eu

7. CARERS – Target Groups • Informal carers • People not trained in areas of care: e.g. acting as carers for partners, children, relatives, friends or neighbours with special needs • No professional training in the care sector • Non care qualified immigrants, with no special experiences in the work with elderly people or with people with special needs • Professionals in the care sector, in social work or psychology, who could act as trainers for informal carers

8. CARERS – Modules of Training • The role of an informal carer (Toulouse) • What means dependency? • A carer’s needs? • How can care be improved? • Care of elderly people (Barcelona) • Maintenance of activities of everyday life (communication, meals, hygiene, mobility, etc.) • Behavioural disorders and cognitive stimulation • Care of people with mental disorders (Barcelona) • Overview of mental disorders and treatment possibilities, especially the medication • Dementia • Personal autonomy, communication, social resources etc. • Care of elderly people with intellectual disabilities (Vienna) • Care of children with disabilities (Graz) • Life quality, body signals, development of autonomy • Tool box for carers (Luxembourg) • Grief, stress und stress-treatment (relaxation etc.)

9. CARERS – Training Material Structure of the training handouts Overview Central issues of the 6 different modules (evidence based) and case studies Exercises in small groups and discussion Summary and further material (literature, addresses of institutions, legal requirements) Further: Development of guidelines for trainers (Toulouse) Online support of the trainings (download and chat; no e-learning) Production of DVD‘s

10. CARERS – Online Training

11. Pilot Study„Elderly people with intellectual disability“ Development of the material: Evidenced based (current state of research) Comparison of the characteristics of people with disabilities with the general population Part 1 is about the possible age related changes (physical, social or psychological) and part 2 about resources General conditions: 2 trainers = clinical/health psychologists Max. 15 participants (relatives or inexperienced carers) Duration 8h: Friday afternoon and Saturday morning Accessibility

12. CARERS – Pilot Study Meeting of experts: 9 people Presenting the training material (content & methods) Feedback Good evidence of a central theme Comprehensible exercises, congruent to training goals Critical comments on the descriptions of the psychological health of people with intellectual disabilities and the educational implementation of the training

13. CARERS – Pilot Study Participants: 7 parents (5 women and 2 men) Age: 38 – 68 No previous experience with training Content related personal experiences of the participants: Difficulties to get information A lot of self-confidence required from the parents (e.g. toward public authorities etc.) High financial expenses/ high political awareness Stress/ defer the own needs

14. CARERS – Pilot Study Descriptive analysis of the pre/post - questionnaires: Expectations fulfilled EVERYONE was satisfied with content, material, duration, instruction „it was liberating – I feel more relieved and it was possible to talk well in the group“ „very informative – but above all very good and kind trainers“ EVERYONE would recommend the training! Comments to the procedure: High need of communication between parents: case based units and practical exercises took more time, then planned All contents could be presented as planned Mutual process of learning (participants & trainers)

15. CARERS – Summary • “Informal care” • Offer of support for informal carers • Additional target group in Austria are civil servants • Training • Positive Feedback • Difficult to reach informal carers caring for people with disabilities (not organized systematically) • high need of systematic dissemination for public authorities / NGOs

16. Thank you for your attention! Germain Weber (Coordination) Germain.weber@univie.ac.at Barbara Brehmer (Training & Dissemination) Barbara.Brehmer@univie.ac.at Elisabeth Zeilinger (Homepage & Online Training) Elisabeth.zeilinger@univie.ac.at http://www.carers-project.eu