This study will provide an opportunity for family caregivers of Veterans to be heard and to improve services for other caregivers of Veterans now and in the future.
If you are a family caregiver of a Veteran or know of one, and wish to take part in this study, please sign up at:
www.gwsurvey.com/caregiversofveterans.html
The National Alliance for Caregiving is a non-profit research organization seeking participants for a new study of family caregivers of Veterans who need help with everyday activities. This study is intended to determine how caregivers of these Veterans are coping, and what community and VA services, resources, and programs would support and assist them with their care giving activities.
Caregivers are defined as those relatives, friends, and neighbors providing unpaid assistance to Veterans who need help with everyday activities, including personal care—help with bathing, dressing, or feeding—help with medications and other treatments, transportation to doctors’ appointments, arranging for services, and assisting Veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or traumatic brain injury (TBI). Caregivers of Veterans from World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and other conflicts through the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan will be included in the study. Veterans are those who have separated or retired from active duty in any branch of the military including the National Guard, and the military Reserves.
The study, funded by United Health Foundation, will collect information through focus groups, telephone interviews, and an Internet survey* of caregivers of Veterans. The National Alliance for Caregiving is recruiting many family caregivers of Veterans from across the United States, and especially caregivers for the focus groups living in or near: San Diego, San Antonio, and Washington, DC.
Cash incentives will be available for study participants and also Veterans who refer them to the study organizers. Information obtained from the focus groups, telephone interviews, and Internet survey will be completely confidential and will not be connected to the individual caregivers participating in the study. The National Alliance for Caregiving has conducted many national research studies on caregiving, available on www.caregiving.org.
Thank you for considering participating in a study that could make a difference in the lives of caregivers of Veterans. Please contact Kathy Cameron at kathleen56@caregiving.org or 703-585-6607 for more information. Visit www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVtACRgTI7Q to view a video about the study.
*For caregivers who do not have Internet access, the study sign up form is also available in a paper version to complete and return via regular mail. The Internet survey will also be available as a paper version.