Grant: Summer Program in Aging

Nav-CARE is a volunteer navigation program that provides weekly visits and support to older adults with life-limiting illness who are living in the community. The purpose of my dissertation work is to develop an adaptation of the Nav-CARE program to meet the needs of caregivers of persons with dementia using a three step approach: a rapid review of the literature, the development of training curriculum for volunteer navigators, and a feasibility and acceptability pilot study. The rapid review of the literature examined interventions to support caregivers of older adults with dementia, caregivers' needs, and current navigation support programs. Findings highlight the need to develop multicomponent interventions that target the unique and changing needs of caregivers throughout the dementia disease trajectory. It is our hope that the adapted Nav-CARE program can contribute to filling the existing gap in effective programs. Caregivers' needs that were identified through the literature were used to guide the development of competencies in the second study approach. In the second phase, a multidisciplinary expert panel of individuals with expertise in dementia, navigation, volunteerism and caregivers were consulted using a modified e-Delphi method to gain consensus on the needs of caregivers, and the knowledge, skills and abilities volunteers need to have in order to meet these needs. The findings from this process will be used to develop the training curriculum for volunteers of the adapted Nav-CARE program. The final phase will consist of a pilot study in which 10 volunteer navigators will be trained with the new curriculum and provide the Nav-CARE program to a caregiver for 1-2 hours bi-weekly for 6 months. The feasibility and acceptability of the program will be evaluated using semi-structured interviews, volunteer field notes, and volunteer and caregiver questionnaires. If successful, Nav-CARE can be implemented in select communities.