Caregiver Self-Management of Stress

SOS care is brief, telephonic care (6 one-hour sessions over 3-4 months) tailored to the CG's needs, preferences, and priorities. SOS care addresses both work and caregiving stress. The five pillars of behavior change in SOS care are: 1) knowledge of work and CG stress; 2) stress management skills and abilities; 3) supports and resources; 4) confidence and motivation to modify stress; and 5) work and CG-focused problem-solving skills. The pillars are addressed through seven modules. In six sessions, the CM will cover each module at least once. SOS care involves an ongoing process of formulating self-management goals and action plans and preparing CGs to succeed in implementing them. Addressing both work and caregiving contexts, CMs will educate CGs about stress. CMs introduce strategies for self-managing stress and collaboratively design experiments to test these strategies. The CG's progress is monitored to identify strategies that effectively achieve self management goals.