A pilot evaluation of the Family Caregiver Support Program Ya-Mei Chen a, *, Susan C. Hedrick b , Heather M. Young c a School of Nursing, University of Washington, United States b Health Services, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Research Career Scientist, VA Medical Center, United States c University of Washington, Grace Phelps Distinguished Professor and Director of Rural Health Research Development, Oregon Health and Sciences University, United States 1. Introduction An estimated 52 million Americans function as informal caregivers of ill or disabled individuals, and 23 percent (22.4 million) of U.S. households are caring for a relative or friend who is at least 50 years old (AARP, 2004; Coleman and Pandya, 2002). One fifth of all family members of seriously ill patients have to quit work or make another major life change in order to provide care, and almost one third report the loss of their entire savings (GAO, 1994). Furthermore, financial or other unmet needs may impede caregivers’ ability to function effectively, both in their own day-to- day lives and in their role as an ongoing support system for their patients (Kristjanson, Atwood, & Degner, 1995; Tringali, 1986). As a result, the need to provide support to caregivers has gradually gained societal attention, and many publicly and privately funded services have been developed to achieve this goal. The National Family Caregiver Support Program, for example, authorizes local Area Agencies on Aging (AAAs) to provide caregivers with various support services, including caregiver training, respite care, and supplemental services, among others. However, caregiver support services vary a great deal, and research findings regarding the effects of these services have shown mixed results. The research has also shown the need for a uniform method of evaluating caregiver support services. Feinberg and Newman (2006) studied administrators’ experiences of implementing the National Family Caregiver Support Program in all 50 states in the United States, and showed that there is still a great unevenness in services programs in different states. Because of this, they suggested that a uniform assessment and evaluation tool is necessary in order to better provide services to family caregivers. 1.1. Background of the problem Caregiver support services most commonly provide informa- tion access, caregiver education and training, and respite and supplemental services. Research findings regarding the effects of these services have shown mixed results. Some studies, including those with rigorous designs such as randomized and controlled trials, showed caregiver support services either to have little or no impact on caregivers’ outcomes, or to be effective only for a subgroup of the caregiver population. Other studies, however, showed these services to be effective in different perspectives in supporting family caregivers (Brodaty, Green, & Koschera, 2003; Burns, Nichols, Martindale-Adams, Graney, & Lummus, 2003; Gallagher-Thompson et al., 2003; Lee & Cameron, 2004; Maas et al., 2004; Newcomer, Yordi, DuNah, Fox, & Wilkinson, 1999; Roberts et al., 1999; Toseland, Blanchard, & McCallion, 1995; Zank & Schacke, 2002). To prepare for the current study, we completed a Evaluation and Program Planning 33 (2010) 113–119 ARTICLE INFO Article history: Received 26 November 2008 Received in revised form 30 July 2009 Accepted 8 August 2009 Keywords: Family Caregiver Support Program Program evaluation Caregiver Support services ABSTRACT The purposes of this study were to evaluate a federal and state-funded Family Caregiver Support Program (FCSP) and explore what types of caregiver support service are associated with what caregiver outcomes. Information was obtained on a sample of 164 caregivers’ use of eleven different types of support service. Descriptive and comparative analyses were used to detect the differences between users and nonusers of caregiver support services. Six measures included were caregiving appraisal scale, caregiving burden, caregiving mastery, caregiving satisfaction, hour of care, and service satisfaction. Using consulting and education services is associated with lessening of subjective burden; using financial support services is associated with more beneficial caregiver appraisal, such as better caregiver mastery. The findings are practical and helpful for future caregiver service and program development and evaluation and policy making for supporting caregivers. In addition, the evaluation method demonstrated in the study provided a simple and moderately effective method for service agencies which would like to evaluate their family caregiver support services. Published by Elsevier Ltd. * Corresponding author at: Psychosocial & Community Health, Box 357263, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, United States. Tel.: +1 206 685 0819; fax: +1 206 685 9551. E-mail address: yameic@u.washington.edu (Y.-M. Chen). Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Evaluation and Program Planning journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/evalprogplan 0149-7189/$ – see front matter . Published by Elsevier Ltd. doi:10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2009.08.002