Planning a Needs Assessment

The support group for caregivers requires various resources which are important in operating the service. One of them is community resources. They need access to counselors who are fully aware of the challenges which they normally experience in the process of caring for old-aged individuals. The process of counseling will enable caregivers to open up more about the problems which they normally experience (Schulz & Sherwood, 2008). It will also provide the chance for the counselors to inform the caregivers about specific actions which they need to undertake with the need to improve on the success of providing appropriate assistance to those who depend on them.Where both the social and emotional needs of the caregivers are considered, they are more likely to focus on practices which will help to alleviate the situation of those who depend on them effectively.

Caregivers also need to have the services of trained social workers who will aim to establish the specific challenges which they experience in the course of their work. As a result, they will be able to deal with the problems effectively where they happen to have a proper characterization of them. The social, workers will cite different circumstances which the caregivers might find themselves in and how they can handle them.

One program activity will entail involving the caregivers in a question and answer session. The social workers will need to actively engage the caregivers in a bid to determine the fears and day-to-day challenges which they happen to experience. The action will enable the social workers to establish the extent of the problem and develop appropriate interventional measures which are likely to boost the outcomes and functionality of the caregivers (Penning & Wu, 2015). The caregivers will provide a clear indication of their situation in terms of their daily activities while caring for old-aged individuals.

Another activity will entail the provision of counseling services to the caregivers. The work of caregivers is highly daunting. There are instances where they might feel overwhelmed by the activities which they undertake (Schulz & Sherwood, 2008). They might also feel despair and risk of developing mental health problems. Through proper counseling, they are likely to identify more with the situations which they happen to be in. They are bound to establish that such instances are bound to be short-lived. The counseling sessions are likely to influence them actively in managing the stress levels they have effectively.

One desired outcome is that of empowering the caregivers. They are likely to attain the relevant skills which will enable them to take proper care of people under them. Their ability to manage the stress they have will also enable them to pay close attention to the old-aged individuals who depend on them (Penning & Wu, 2015). They are likely to hold onto the idea that they mean a lot to the lives of others. They will, therefore, be more willing to live up to the billing in a bid to spread the value which has been put on them.

Another desired outcome of the program is that it will enable the caregivers to be more willing to share ideas with one another. They will develop close ties with each other through the identification of the experiences which they normally go through (Penning & Wu, 2015). They will also seek to ensure that they build on their competencies through identifying the specific areas of strength which they are likely to learn from one another. Such an approach would, thus, be important in terms of maintaining the level of effectiveness of the caregivers.

I plan to gather information about the population served by interacting with them at their households. I will make personal observations about the populations served. The aim of gathering information will be to establish whether the program for empowering caregivers has been effective. It will also showcase the specific areas which need to be improved on in a bid to enable them to perform their actions effectively (Schulz & Sherwood, 2008). The plans and decisions made will also be necessary for enabling caregivers to constantly improve their performance. They will need to focus on the bigger picture to ensure that they are of great benefit to people whom they serve.

In conclusion, I will conduct a follow-up to the needs assessment by having a close observation of the caregivers while they are at their work in their respective homes. I will request to go with them to their workstations in a bid to establish the approaches which they normally apply while dealing with patients and old people. The observation will enable me establish whether the caregivers are on the right track or they need to be provided with further training in light with their activities. It will also enable me establish the specific areas of weakness in the training phase which might need to be improved on in the future. Much of the attention will be put on boosting the capacity of the caregivers to ensure that they take proper care of the old-aged. They will also develop the enthusiasm to conduct their duties.

References

Penning, M. J., & Wu, Z. (2015). Caregiver stress and mental health: Impact of caregiving relationship and gender. The Gerontologist, 56(6), 1102-1113.https://academic.oup.com/gerontologist/article/56/…

Schulz, R., & Sherwood, P. R. (2008). Physical and mental health effects of family caregiving. The American journal of nursing, 108(9 Suppl), 23–27. doi:10.1097/01.NAJ.0000336406.45248.4c https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC27915…