Formulating Policy on a Strength-based Support Program for Family Caregivers of People with Dementia at the Hospital Level

Abstract

To address psychological challenges of family caregivers of people with dementia, this article aims to formulate a policy for this target group at the hospital level. Policy formulation is one of the five steps in the policy process, including: i) Agenda setting; ii) Policy formulation; iii) Decision making; iv) Policy implementation; and v) Policy evaluation. The proposed policy focuses on addressing the lack of psychological services and interventions which are self-concept based and strength-based in order to help caregivers cope with and adjust to their caregiving burden. This policy consists of two key action plans: i) Expanding the existing intervention with a supplement of the self-concept and strength-based components; and ii) Establishing support groups of family caregivers of people with dementia. These action plans were assessed using the Matrix 5W of policy formulation. The results show high acceptance and feasibility of the action plans at the hospital level. In addition, their benefits were found to be outweigh the costs. These results serve as evidence for the decision making of the stakeholders.

Keywords:

Policy process, policy formulation, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, hospital,
family caregivers.