Group Work Interventions for Family Caregivers of Elderly Persons with Mental Health Problems

Abstract

Introduction: Geriatric mental health is the foundation for the wellness and optimum functioning of an elderly person. Physical, psychological, social, cultural and spiritual factors are interrelated with mental health in elderly. Loneliness, disability, family structure, support system, social security and resilience factors influences and encounters the essence of psychosocial interventions to enhance the psychological and social well-being of the elderly persons. Family caregivers of elderly persons with mental health problems face various adversities in their life due to the nature of symptoms and associated psychosocial issues such as caregiver burden, lack of information about the illness, inadequate social support, delay in seeking treatment and poor quality of life. Hence, psychosocial interventions are important to empower the family caregivers of elderly persons with mental health problems. Aim: This study aims to to understand the multifactorial aspects of psychosocial interventions and to present themes noted in reducing caregiver burden, ensuring treatment adherence, accessing social support and improving the quality of life in geriatric mental health. Methodology: The study focuses on review of comprehensive group work care interventions offered for elderly persons with mental health problems and their family caregivers who accessed a Geriatric Clinic at a tertiary care center in a cosmopolitan city of India starting from January 2022 to June 2023. Results: Elderly persons with mental health problems and their family caregivers were provided group work session of psychosocial support ranging from psychoeducation, supportive work, home care strategies, home visits, psychosocial follow up, welfare benefits, alternative care options such as day care, formal home-care, institutionalization, palliative care and unique case-based queries including bank and legal aid. Time-bound brief-psychosocial interventions were offered. Further results will be presented. Discussion: This study can help the fellow researchers and academicians gain the summary of psychosocial interventions provided in a lower and middle income country such as India. It highlights the role of a multidisciplinary team in holistic-care for persons with mental health problems and their families. It attempts to review what has worked as well as the areas that need more attention. It provides the insights and initiates the discussion over inclusion of psychosocial interventions as part of regular clinical services across all settings including private hospitals and multi-speciality care facilities. Conclusion: Psychosocial needs of the persons with mental health problems and their families are varied and cannot be addressed by one intervention package. Hence, augmenting the psychosocial interventions would enable the caregivers to provide better care, enhance the well-being, manage behavioral issues and decrease the burden of care. In short, psychosocial interventions would enhance the quality of life for family caregivers of persons with mental health problems.