Caring for the Caregiver: Identifying the Needs of Those Called to Care Through Partnerships with Congregations

As the older adult population continues to grow, the prevalence of chronic diseases is also increasing, leading to the need for novel ways of managing this large population of patients. One solution is to focus on informal caregivers. These informal caregivers already make a substantial contribution to our nation’s healthcare finances and patient health outcomes. Caregivers also derive benefits from caring for their family member or friend; however, it is not uncommon for these individuals to experience negative health consequences, or what is often called “burden of care.” Those called to care are not without their own burdens, and they must frequently make significant lifestyle adjustments that impact their own health. Therefore, for caregivers to be effective, caring for the caregivers must be a focus of medicine in the twenty-first century.     

Sociodemographic Factors Associated with Types of Projects Implemented by Volunteer Lay Health Educators in Their Congregations

This study focused on the association between type of community health interventions and lay health educator variables. Lay health educators are volunteers from local faith communities who complete a healthcare training program, taught by physicians in-training. Lay health educators are instructed to implement health-related initiatives in their respective communities after graduation. Of the 72 graduates since 2011, we surveyed 55 lay health educators to gain insight into their involvement with their congregation and the type of health projects they have implemented. We dichotomized the health projects into “raising awareness” and “teaching new health skills.” Using adjusted logistic regression models, variables associated with implementing health projects aimed at teaching health skills included length of time as a member of their congregation, current employment, and age. These results may help future programs prepare lay health community educators for the type of health interventions they intend to implement in their respective communities.     

Second Victims: Aftermath of Gun Violence and Faith-Based Responses

Journal of Religion and Health - In the aftermath of gun violence, those impacted and left to mourn are regarded as second victims. These individuals experience and are often burdened by mental and...