Project Title: familycaregiving.ca: Innovative Ways to Serve Family Caregivers of People with Traumatic Brain Injury in Northern Ontario

Research Team:
Chiu, T.
Colantonio, A.
Keightley, M.
Bellavance, A.

Research Partner:
COTA Health

Brain injuries often result in long term disabling consequences. Family members who take care of brain injury survivors have expressed an interest to access caregiver services supported by information communication technologies. This study investigated the needs of Internet-based support services by family caregivers of brain injury survivors in northern Ontario, Canada.

Family members of a regional brain injury organization participated in a mail survey. A total of 40 Internet users participated. A typical Internet user was female, aged 41-60, and provided moderate to heavy care for a family member in a post-acute long-term recovery stage. Most caregivers preferred information about programs, brain injury and caregiving. Approximately half preferred to email health professionals and to obtain website lists. They were less interested in email exchanges with other caregivers, a message board, or a chat group.

Family caregivers of brain injury survivors have accepted using the Internet as a medium to receive support services. When designing ehealth services for them, an easy-to-use information website can serve as the basic resource. The base service can be expanded to include email services and message board at a later stage for subgroups of caregivers who are ready to use the services. This project received seed funding from M-THAC.

M-THAC Opportunity funds also supported a related project, "An evaluation of a website for traumatic brain injury consumers," conducted by Dr. Colantonio's student, James Prochazka.

Selected Presentations:

• Chiu T, Colantonio A, Keightley M, Bellavance A. Family Caregivers' Needs of Internet-based Services: A Survey of Caregivers of Brain Injury Survivors in Ontario. MedNet: 11th World Congress on Internet in Medicine. Oct 13-20, Toronto, Ontario.

Selected Publications:

• Chiu T, Colantonio A, Keightley M, Bellavance A. Family Caregivers' Needs of Internet-based Services: A Survey of Caregivers of Brain Injury Survivors in Ontario. MedNet: 11th World Congress on Internet in Medicine. Oct 14-19, Toronto, Ontario. Abstracts Book, p.32.