Describes support group designed for adult children who are adjusting to aging parents. Included are a discussion of pregroup decisions and stages of a support group for adult children experiencing role changes with aging parents. Specific attention is given to content and skills in facilitating the group. Actual dialogue from support groups is…

Examined predictors of stability and change in informal support networks of frail elders and primary caregivers. Data from 1982 and 1984 National Long Term Care Surveys and 1982 Informal Caregivers Survey revealed that changes in network size and intensity of help occurred in response to changes in health and functional status of frail elder, not…

Four experiments involving 18 individuals (ages 14-55) with profound multiple handicaps found that 12 stimuli used in a preference assessment represented a comprehensive stimulus set for identifying preferences, though the utility of the set could sometimes be enhanced by caregiver opinion. Results also indicated that preferences identified were…

Interviewed mothers (n=982) of young children to assess factors related to children's risk of abuse and neglect by child caregivers. Results indicated children were significantly less likely to be abused in day care center or preschool than in home-based child care. Strongest correlates of neglect were child's age, caregiver's age, and child care…

A total of 12 professional caregivers and 35 2- and 3-year olds participated in a study to determine caregivers' influence on the competence of preschoolers. Caregivers assisted children while the children performed classification tasks. Found that the sex of the children and the working conditions of the caregivers influenced children's task…

Nebraska Cooperative Extension coordinated early childhood education conferences including child care provider training. Expansion throughout the state indicates that it is meeting an expressed need for staff development. (Author/JOW)

Thirty children (ages 2-42 months) and 45 of their parents participated in this study of the effects of distance and postural position on the long-term and short-term spectral characteristics of parents' speech. Implications of the results for specific hearing losses and hearing aid selection are discussed. (Author/JDD)

A model of family caregiving by public health nurses includes these competencies: encouraging self-help, locating and building trust, timing and detecting, being available, mobilizing, collaborating, resolving problems and crises, working through emotions, fostering family understanding, educating parents, persuading, and saving children. (SK)

Surveyed 233 family caregivers for brain-impaired adults. Spousal caregivers (both husbands and wives) devoted much time to caregiving. Most caregivers received little assistance from other family members and friends, but husbands received more than others. Employed spouses received more paid help than unemployed spouses; employment did not affect…

Content analysis of problems caregiving daughters and daughters-in-law (n=51) elected to work on during counseling yielded seven categories: improving coping skills; meeting elder's needs; responding to family issues; concern over caregiver-recipient relationship; eliciting support; feelings of inadequacy and guilt; and planning for elder's…

Critiques and discusses 10 measures of burden that have been used with caregivers of individuals with dementia. Claims that, although many measures contain reliability data, relatively few report content validity, convergent/divergent validity, criterion validity, or sensitivity to change. Discusses implications for research and practice.…

Staff members (n=125) working in community residential facilities for persons with mental retardation in North Dakota were found to exhibit a moderate degree of burnout. Supervisory staff members showed significantly more burnout on the Emotional Exhaustion subscale and less on the Personal Accomplishment subscale than did direct-care staff…

Assessed therapeutic processes used by peer and professional counselors during brief, problem-focused individual intervention program with 51 daughters and daughters-in-law who were caring for frail elder. Findings indicated that professionals were significantly warmer and friendlier, engaged in greater exploration, and gave more and different…

Interviewed 114 grandparents. Found three major grandparent roles: custodial, living with grandchild, and day-care roles. Found that custodial grandparents often obtained that relationship because of severe problems in nuclear family. Day-care grandparents provided regular help to grandchild's nuclear family. Decision to provide care was often…

To help parents become informed consumers of child care services, caregivers can become advocates for children and families, post articles, join professional organizations to educate the public, inform legislators about the role of child care in allowing mothers to become self-supporting, and be able to refer parents to resources that help educate…