Residential and Community Care

Carer Support Network Project

The purpose of this project – funded by the Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care - was to develop a carer support model using teleconferencing for carers of people with dementia who live in regional NSW. The project involved training 22 health and community sector workers in the use of teleconferencing. These trainee facilitators then organised and conducted an eight week teleconferencing support group for carers of people with dementia. The project was carried out in collaboration with the Alzheimer’s Association NSW and the Eastern Sector Aged Care Service of CSAHS. CERA’s main roles were to write the facilitator’s manual and to conduct an evaluation of the project.

Outcomes
The main outcome of the project was te manual Getting in Touch: A carer support model using teleconferencing. It provides a conceptual overview of how teleconferencing can be approached and has much practical information on groupwork skills, working with people from different cultural backgrounds, deciding on whether to use teleconferencing, planning a program, and evaluation.

This publication is available on the Department of Ageing, Disability and Home Care website, link here
Copyright © May 2001 Ageing and Disability Department.

Acknowledgements
The NSW Ageing and Disability Department, the Carer Support Network Project, Alzheimer’s Association NSW, Carers NSW, Commonwealth Department of Health and Aged Care, ACAT Dementia Consultant, Far North Coast Carer Respite Centre, and the Eastern Sector Aged Care Service. Full acknowledgements details are contain in the manual.