AEGiS-06IAC: Interactive training series for caregivers of HIV infected children.

6th International AIDS Conference

San Francisco, California, USA — June 20-23, 1990

Interactive training series for caregivers of HIV infected children.

Int Conf AIDS 1990 Jun 20-23; 6:330 (abstract no. Th.D.816)
Riley MW; Academy for Educational Development, Washington, DC, USA

OBJECTIVE: To identify the educational and emotional needs of caregivers and families (including birth, foster, adoptive, and extended) of children with HIV. To develop training materials for these families and other caregivers including home health aides, community volunteers, and child care providers.

METHODS: Families and caregivers helped shape the materials by participating in the qualitative research design. In-depth interviews were conducted for a cross-section of families; focus groups were conducted with foster families and sample subjects of the targeted audience listed above. Triangulation of the findings identified the barriers and motivators to caring for children with HIV and the areas of concern are addressed in the content material.

RESULTS: Based on the findings, the areas targeted for educational development are: Information about HIV, transmission, universal precautions, the needs of the children and families, and issues of death and dying. The focus group results show that among the barriers to caring for HIV children are the perceptions about the families, fear of transmission, and the emotional issues of caring for a dying child. In-depth interview findings demonstrate that because of the stigma of HIV-AIDS, families are fearful of disclosing the diagnosis and have limited support systems.

CONCLUSION: The needs and suggestions of the target groups of caregivers and the families of children with HIV provided the framework for the educational materials, to be suitable for small group interactive training. Collaborators for this project are The Children's National Medical Center, with a subcontract to the Academy for Educational Development for the educational materials, and the Child Welfare League of America for the production of (optional) complementary video training tapes and discussion guides.

Keywords: AEGIS, Caregivers, Family, Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome, Foster Home Care, Professional-Family Relations, Child Welfare, Focus Groups, Death, Child of Impaired Parents, HIV Infections, Interviews, Nuclear Family, HIV Seropositivity, Empathy, Family Health, HIV Seronegativity, Americas, Child, Human, education, immunology, ICA6

900620
ThD816