F.A.R.E. (Promoting psychological well-being by assisting relatives and taking care of oneself)
F.A.R.E. (Promoting psychological well-being by Assisting relatives and taking care of oneself) is a project of the IPH for and with family caregivers in Ticino.
In Switzerland, about one in 7 people is a family caregiver. Family caregivers or "informal caregivers" are individuals who, on a voluntary basis and without specific training, provide care, assistance, and treatment to a relative, friend, or acquaintance facing an illness, disability, or condition that requires support. Providing care is very demanding and can cause stress, often leading to a deterioration of the caregiver's mental and physical health.
The aim of the F.A.R.E. project is to provide family caregivers in Ticino with a digital tool that can be used independently to take care of their psychological well-being. The tool was developed by the World Health Organization and is called ‘Doing What Matters in Times of Stress’ (DWM), which offers stress management techniques through explanations, guided exercises, audio recordings, and vignettes.
F.A.R.E. is a highly participatory project that aims to involve the experience of family caregivers themselves and experts, including representatives of associations, institutions, and social services, to adapt ‘Doing What Matters in Times of Stress’ to the needs of family caregivers and the local culture. After the adaptation, the project aims to test the effectiveness and implementability of the intervention, identifying barriers and facilitators, as well as aspects of acceptability, accessibility, usability, and sustainability.
F.A.R.E. is therefore part of the field of mental health and well-being. We use implementation research methods that allow us to understand not only ‘if’ but also ‘how’ ‘Doing What Matters’ works, and to determine how to make this tool widely accessible and sustainable over time.
If you are a family caregiver and would like to be contacted by the research team to try ‘Doing What Matters in Times of Stress’, you can leave your contact information here.
Staff
Beatrice Bano (PhD student, project responsible)
Prof. Emiliano Albanese (Supervisor)
Prof. Marianna Purgato (Co-supervisor)
Dr. Maddalena Fiordelli (Senior Advisor)
Active
01.10.2023-01.10.2027
Funding
Partners
WHO Collaborating Centre for Research and Training in Mental Health and Service Evaluation and Cochrane Global Mental Health Centre, Department of Neuroscience, Biomedicine and Movement Sciences, Section of Psychiatry, University of Verona, Verona, Italy (Prof. Corrado Barbui; Prof. Marianna Purgato)
Publications
- Bano B., Cristofalo D., Prina E., Patania F., , Barbui C., Purgato M., Albanese E. (2024) Implementation outcomes of psychosocial interventions addressing informal caregivers’ mental health: a systematic review. IMPACT Swiss Implementation Science Network
