Co-designing training sessions with post STROKE patients’ caregiver. An European Project

Abstract Background Globally, the progressive aging of the population is directly linked to the growing demand for care. There is an increasing need to expand the number of individuals within the community who possess basic caregiving knowledge, particularly among those who already serve as caregivers. Caregivers must especially be educated on how to protect their own health and well-being through preventive measures, taking care also of themselves. Methods Focus groups were the primary method used, following a standardized format to ensure consistent input from participants and uniform data collection. These groups included 147 persons in a diverse range of stakeholders: caregivers (18%), patients (1%), healthcare professionals (33%), academics (18%), students (11%), representatives from companies and organizations supporting patients (7%), and other stakeholders (3%). Focus groups were conducted in Italy, Poland, Portugal, and Spain, within the framework of the project ‘Cardiovascular Health Promotion: The Impact of Immersive Virtual Reality’, funded by HaDEA. Results A total of 46 activities were proposed by participants for inclusion in the scenarios, categorized into three key areas of interest that are the foundation for developing comprehensive and effective scenarios, each incorporating a variety of stimuli: 1. Improving caregiving skills (31); 2. Enhancing the understanding of the patient (8); 3. Promoting caregiver well-being (7). Conclusions Training should be delivered in a simple, flexible, and cost-effective manner by qualified personnel, to avoid placing additional strain on healthcare systems that are already struggling to address complex health needs with limited resources. The contributions from all stakeholders allowed for tailoring the training to the specific needs of final users. Key messages • Caregivers are mainly requiring training dedicated to improving their caregiving skills to be more effective, save, and relaxed in the provision of care. • Training sessions for post-STROKE patients’ caregivers must provide practical solutions, easily applicable to not overload learners.