Free Paper Sample on Education for Family Caregivers

Introduction

Family caregivers play a critical role in the healthcare industry as they provide support and care for patients discharged from hospitals (Reinhard & Brassard, 2020). In their journal “Nurses leading the way to better support family caregivers,” Susan Reinhard and Andrea Brassard acknowledge that family caregivers provide essential post-hospitalization services to millions of patients. For instance, in 2017, approximately 41 million family caregivers dedicated more than 34 billion hours taking care of patients with chronic conditions despite not being paid (Reinhard & Brassard, 2020). With the complexity in nursing tasks and sophisticated procedure, the family caregivers not only require support but also substantial education to impact them with relevant knowledge and skills and prepare them for significant challenges that often dominate the industry (Reinhard & Brassard, 2020).

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

Education Programs

Education programs in nursing are essential for family caregivers because they would enhance their ability to provide quality services, understand the complexity of the nursing task and improve the nursing outcome when dealing with patients (Reinhard & Brassard, 2020). Nurses must be at the forefront of educational programs like home health care programs that provide training of caregivers at the home-based environment (Reinhard & Brassard, 2020). For example, the Home Alone Alliance unites different stakeholders from private, public, and non-profit sectors to formulate a conducive educational formula to equip the family caregivers with the relevant resources to tackle healthcare challenges (Reinhard & Brassard, 2020). Reinhard and Brassard (2020) correctly highlight the positive impact that utilizing technology-based education could have on aiding caregivers. As nurses use videos to support and educate family caregivers, they not only help them overcome daily barriers and challenges associated with the field but also promote individual growth and development (Reinhard & Brassard, 2020). Home-based care is a critical part of the healthcare system which nurses must address to ensure quality services and a positive outcome like full recovery after discharge instead of re-admission (Reinhard & Brassard, 2020).

Significant Responsibility

Consequently, the quest to provide education for family caregivers places a significant responsibility on nurses and contemporary nursing programs. the authors of the article acknowledge that nurses must learn and understand how to identify and support the education programs for family caregivers (Reinhard & Brassard, 2020). Engaging current and future nurses in curricula that covers both practical skills and emotional context would substantially help nurses to better support the family caregivers and appreciate their effort in delivering quality care (Reinhard & Brassard, 2020). Today, nurses must prepare family caregivers to the anticipated patient discharge and readily address their concerns to ensure a successful transition and improved health of patients. Since patients’ health, safety, and progressive recovery becomes a great phenomenon to health providers, ensuring their wellbeing both during hospitalization and after discharge is critical (Reinhard & Brassard, 2020). Hence, nurses must lead in ensuring the family caregivers possess the required complex skills and knowledge to assist all discharged patients, not only those that risk re-admission, to guarantee full recovery (Reinhard & Brassard, 2020).

Conclusion

Conclusively, the information in the article is significantly vital in empowering nurses with relevant strategies to elevate and educate family caregivers. As the demand for healthcare services increases across the country, family caregivers remain a vital part of the medical system, especially after hospital discharge. Through intensifying the home health care programs, nurses will be able to help family caretakers to master the complex healthcare task and easily adjust to prevailing challenges.

Reference

Reinhard, S. C., & Brassard, A. (2020). Nurses leading the way to better support family caregivers. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 25(1). https://ojin.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ANAMarketplace/ANAPeriodicals/OJIN/TableofContents/Vol-25-2020/No1-Jan-2020/Nurses-Leading-the-Way.html.