Semester
Spring
Date of Graduation
2026
Document Type
Problem/Project Report
Degree Type
OTD
College
School of Medicine
Department
Occupational Therapy
Committee Chair
Heather Livengood
Committee Co-Chair
Cortland Nesley
Committee Member
Kayleigh Nolan
Abstract
Caregivers of traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivors experience caregiver burden, which is a prevalent issue. The most significant concern is for symptoms of burden affecting mental health and sleep quality. This doctoral capstone project addressed the knowledge gap regarding programs that alleviate these signs and symptoms through evidence-based interventions. The objective was to create an educational program with modules that demonstrated improvement in satisfaction and content understanding through in-person sessions and individualized interviews with staff members. This project aimed to reduce perceived burden by conducting in-person sessions to implement interventions through an occupational therapy (OT) lens and by using educational handouts to increase awareness of the burden. A quasi-experimental pre-post mixed method design was used to evaluate caregivers in the West Virginia TBI program, located at the West Virginia University Center for Excellence in Disability, who participated in caregiver support sessions. This project promoted an OT perspective at a non-traditional site to address mental health and sleep hygiene for caregivers by providing quality care, thereby increasing quality-of-life measures and promoting client-centered strategies.
Recommended Citation
Simons, Lura Elizabeth, "Caring for the Caregiver: Implementing an Occupational Therapy-Tailored Educational Program to Alleviate Caregiver Burden" (2026). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 13363.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/13363