The So What QuestionHow is YOUR Coalition Making a Difference

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The So What Question--How is YOUR Coalition
Making a Difference? 

• Second National Conference for Caregiving
  Coalitions
• Washington DC
• March 26, 2008
• Mary Brintnall-Peterson, Ph.D.
• Program Specialist in Aging
• University of Wisconsin-Extension
• Founding Board Member of Alliance

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Goals for Today

• Share types of evaluations conducted by Wisconsin
  Alliance for Family Caregiving
• Identify benefits/challenges of conducting
  evaluations
• Provide suggestions based on Alliance experience
• Provide resources for conducting evaluations
• Answer questions

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Wisconsin Alliance for Family Caregiving
http//www.uwex.edu/ces/flp/caregiving

• Started in 2000 when 5 Master Trainers trained 40
  class leaders for Powerful Tools

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Mission

• The Wisconsin Alliance for Family Caregivers
  provides education, resources and support to
  organizations that directly interface with family
  caregivers.

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The Alliance is in the Business of

• Forming linkages
• Providing tools
• Disseminating family caregiver education

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Major Activities

• Training on family caregiving curriculums
• Providing resources (website marketing of other
  organizations materials)
• Facilitating partnerships (listserv, newsletters,
  connecting with org/agencies)
• Supporting regional family caregiver coalitions

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Curriculums Taught by Alliance

• Powerful Tools for Caregiving-Legacy, Inc.
• Caregiving Relationships for People Who Care for
  Adults-University of Illinois Extension
• Caregiving Near Lifes End-The Hospice Institute
  of the Florida Suncoast
• Elder Care and Work Finding a Balance-Bringing
  Elder Care Home, LLC

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Curriculum Numbers (2001-Nov 2007)
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Grid of types of evaluations
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Individual Curriculum Evaluations-Caregivers

• Audience
• Family Caregivers
• Purpose
• How using information
• Behavior changes
• Use of resources
• Delivery
• Pre, Post and 6 month of Powerful Tools (collect
  on web)
• After session

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Individual Curriculum Evaluations-Caregivers

• Findings
• Share with curriculum steering committee members
  Board
• Share with class leaders
• Develop success stories
• Barriers
• Getting class leaders to implement evaluations
• Length of Powerful Tools evaluation(s)
• Accessing caregivers for some curriculums

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Individual Curriculum Evaluations-Class Leaders

• Audience
• Class Leaders
• Purpose
• How they have used the curriculum
• Additional training needs
• Benefits/reactions from caregivers
• Delivery
• E-Mail survey to class leaders
• 6 months to 1 year intervals

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Individual Curriculum Evaluations-Class Leaders

• Findings
• Share with class leaders
• Share with master trainers
• Share with Board and curriculum steering
  committee members
• Used in grant applications
• Barriers
• Low response rate
• Not viewed as important

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Curriculum Training Evaluations

• Audience
• Class leaders
• Purpose
• Feedback on training sessions
• Teaching quality
• Needs as a class leader
• Preparation to teach curriculum
• Delivery
• After session evaluations

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Curriculum Training Evaluations

• Findings
• Share with master trainers who taught class
• Share with Board and curriculum steering
  committee members
• Barriers
• Not all training participants completed

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Needs Assessment-Leadership Survey

• Audience
• Individuals in creating Alliance
• Purpose
• Determine benefits to individual members, their
  organization and their community
• Delivery
• Survey
• Benefits
• Results posed on web at
• http//www.uwex.edu/ces/flp/caregiving/files/colla
  boration_reports_alliance.pdf
• Barriers
• Participation rate of 68

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Needs Assessment-Listening Session

• Audience
• Professionals working with caregivers
• Purpose
• Determine needs that Alliance could meet
• Delivery
• Meetings held throughout the state by Board
  members

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Needs Assessment-Listening Session

• Findings
• Shared with master trainers class leaders
• Shared with Board
• Made available on web site for anyone to review
  (http//www.uwex.edu/ces/flp/caregiving/files/alli
  ance_listeningsessionexecreport.pdf)
• Barriers
• Not always successful in reaching out to variety
  of professionals who support family caregivers
• Caregiver participation

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Needs Assessment-Future of Alliance

• Audience
• Board and professionals in Wisconsin
• Purpose
• Determine next step of Alliance organization
• Delivery
• Hired consultant-individual interviews group
  meeting of organizations who provided supports to
  caregivers, intensive Board strategic planning
  sessions
• Finding Barriers
• In process

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League of Experienced Family Caregivers(LEFC)

• Seeking the Wisdom of Family Caregivers

www.familycaregivers.uwm.edu
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Research-League of Experienced Family Caregivers

• Audience
• Family Caregivers
• Purpose
• Conduct family caregiver research-currently
  working with Dr. Rhonda Montgomery on creating a
  caregiver needs assessment process using the
  caregiver identity change theory as one component
• Delivery
• Telephone, mail, web
• Findings
• Varies with each research project
• Barriers
• Access to family caregivers

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Research-Powerful Tools-UW-Milwaukee

• Audience
• Spousal caregivers participating in Powerful
  Tools class
• Purpose
• Determine impact of training program (comparison
  study)
• Delivery
• Mail survey-pre and post
• http//www.uwex.edu/ces/flp/caregiving/files/uwm_l
  earning_from_you_study.pdf
• Findings
• In process
• Barriers
• Access to family caregivers through class leaders

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Benefits of Evaluations

• Data helped the Alliance
• Seek funding
• Address needs of class leaders
• Identity ways Alliance can benefit professionals
  who provide services to family caregivers
• Write and tell success stories
• Improve class leader trainings
• Make direction decisions for Alliance
• Involve class leaders in organization

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Evaluation Drawbacks

• Gaining access to family caregivers
• Motivating class leaders to implement
• Creating tools that provide needed feedback
• Financing
• Analyzing results
• Time commitment

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Suggestions for Others

• Identify purpose of evaluations
• Connect with organizations whose business is
  evaluation and involve them
• Include evaluation as part of training on
  curriculum or board member meetings
• Discuss philosophy regarding evaluation with
  coalitions leadership
• Share results with those involved and
  stakeholders
• Utilize existing technologies like zoomerang to
  conduct evaluations

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Evaluation Resources

• Coalition evaluations
• http//www.uwex.edu/ces/flp/caregiving/collaborati
  ons/resources/index.cfm
• Coalition research report
• http//www.aarp.org/research/housing-mobility/care
  giving/aresearch-import-454.html
• Local Universities or Community Colleagues
• Impact evaluations
• http//www.uwex.edu/impacts/evaluation/

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Contact Information

• Mary Brintnall-Peterson, Ph.D.
• Program Specialist in Aging
• University of Wisconsin-Extension
• Family Living Programs
• 301 Extension Building
• 432 North Lake Street
• Madison, WI 53706
• [phone]
• [phone]
• mary.brintnall-peterson_at_uwex.edu

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