The Online Carer Wellbeing and Connection Program
More than 2.65 million Australians fulfil the role of "informal carers," while on a global scale billions of hours are dedicated to informal caregiving within home environments. Providing care for a loved one can be fulfilling but it can also bring about stress, financial strain, personal consequences, diminished wellbeing and social isolation. Findings from the 2021 Carer Wellbeing Survey conducted by Carers Australia show that carers are four times as likely to experience loneliness compared to the general population with 64% reporting feelings of social isolation. This state of social isolation has been linked to significantly elevated levels of psychological distress.
In order to address the needs related to the wellbeing and social connection of carers, Carers Victoria co-designed the Online Carer Wellbeing and Connection Program in 2020. The program spanned four weeks during which carers gathered in small groups for 90 minute sessions.
The Primary Mental Health Team was commissioned to evaluate the Online Carer Wellbeing and Connection Program and found that the program significantly improved carers psychological distress scores (K10 and K10+), decreased feelings of loneliness and increased feelings of social support. Qualitative interviews with 76 carers found that mechanisms of action (or the ingredients for program success) to:
- Delivery by a trained facilitator
- Provision of respite for person being cared for during meetings
- Technical assistance
- Online modality
- Inclusivity
- Diversity of experience
- Shared understanding
- Safety
- Emotional release
- Reflection
- Self-care practices (see picture).
The study was published in PEC Innovations: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772628223000985