Family caregivers play a crucial role in the successful healthcare transitions of the loved ones. They are uniquely capable of monitoring their loved one’s progress and spotting red-flags early on; they can also provide valuable information to physician regarding disease progression, environmental changes, and other key details. Caregivers should be treated as partners in the medical care of their loved ones. Sadly, this is not always the case. Caregivers are often not involved in discharge and care transition planning processes, and they may not be adequately educated on their loved one’s diagnosis, risk factors, or other essential information. And that failure to involve caregivers has high costs for everybody. 

Today, Terri Stacy and Joy Wallsten, our producer, are joined by Regenstrief Institute Research Scientist, Dr. Kristin Levoy, who led a meta-analysis of findings from 54 studies (involving more than 31,000 individuals) confirming that caregiver engagement across healthcare transitions of chronically ill adults is instrumental in preventing rehospitalizations and holds potential for enhancing other patient outcomes. 

Email Tina: tina@joyshouse.org  

Learn more about Joy’s House:  www.joyshouse.org