CHAPTER 6 Supporting Caregivers of Stroke Patients: Description of an Intervention, Its Implementation and Participants’ Evaluation Lidwien M Schure, Elisabeth TP van den Heuvel, Roy E Stewart, Robbert Sanderman, Luc P de Witte and Betty Meyboom-de Jong Abstract Objective: In this article the content of an intervention is described, that was developed in order to support caregivers of stroke patients in the Netherlands. Secondly, caregivers’ overall evaluation and preference for either the group program or the home visits are taken into account. Subjects: Participants were mainly spouses and women. Their average age was >60 years. A total of 212 caregivers participated in the intervention. Methods: The evaluation of caregivers from the group program and caregivers from the home visit program were compared using a T-test. Analysis of variance was used to examine whether the primary preference for one of the interventions was associated with characteristics of caregiver and patient Results: The intervention consisted of a mix of education and counseling. The program content contained emotional and informative support, and focused on problem-solving skills. The program was characterized by a fixed structure, but was flexible enough for caregivers to discuss individual problems. Two interventions were developed, a group program and home visits. The group intervention consisted of eight 2-hour sessions with 8-12 caregivers at a home care organization. The home visits consisted of four 2-hour sessions with the caregiver and the patient in their home situation. The content of the two interventions was similar, the only difference being that the home visits offered more opportunities for caregivers to address individual problems. The overall evaluation by the caregivers who participated the intervention showed positive reactions. The supportive components of the intervention that caregivers experienced as most helpful were normative support (e.g. feeling supported in taking leisure time for oneself, feeling supported in asking for help et cetera). Significantly more caregivers in the group intervention indicated they had experienced the intervention as useful with respect to emotional and normative support. Caregivers who took care of a patient with cognitive and behavioral problems, caregivers who experienced high levels of strain and caregivers who used relatively more active coping strategies, and were living in the province of Limburg more often preferred a group variant. Conclusion: The evaluation described in this article adds to the outcomes of the effect study the finding that the intervention was much appreciated and feasible. In addition, the evaluation provided new facts that can be considered in deciding whether to provide a group program or home visits to individual caregivers of stroke patients.