Health promotion for older family caregivers. Resources and risks - needs and structure of offers

Background and aim. Because of the growing number of elderly people, older family caregivers constitute a relevant target group for health promotion. Shortcomings in existing offerings, especially inappropriate ways of addressing the target group and a lack of needs orientation, may account for their low use. Therefore, our aim was to develop an assessment instrument (ARR) to survey the individual needs of family caregivers and to implement it into the existing structures of a health insurance company. Methods. The development of the ARR was based on a mixed-methods approach consisting of interviews with family doctors (n=44), two focus groups of healthcare professionals, a focus group with family caregivers from a self-help group, and four guided interviews with caregivers. Results. The ARR distinguishes between physical and psychosocial resources and risk profiles of caregivers, differentiating nine types. Each type is connected to a health promotion offering regarding the derived need. The developed offerings are incorporated into established networks. Conclusion. The ARR aims to capture the need for health promotion by family caregivers. This standardized procedure allows health insurance companies to offer better-targeted courses in the field of health promotion.