FAMILY CAREGIVER EDUCATION AND SUPPORT PROGRAMS: USING HUMANISTIC APPROACHES TO EVALUATE PROGRAM EFFECTS

This article critiques previous caregiver evaluation efforts and describes the evaluation of an education and support program for family caregivers in British Columbia, Canada. Thirty family caregivers, predominantly adult daughters caring for parents with dementia, participated in one of three facilitator-led groups offering the Supporting Caregivers in British Columbia program. They met weekly for 2 hr over a 10-week period. A rich array of qualitative data indicated that caregivers perceived the program to have numerous positive effects on their caregiving, thus demonstrating the importance of learner perspectives and experiences in the evaluation process. The study offers a distinct alternative to experimental and quasi-experimental designs for evaluating educational programs.