Supporting Families and Caregivers from Coursera

This course takes a deep dive into the challenges families and friends of a patient with serious illness face and how you can care for and support them as a provider, social worker or family friend. Supporting Families and Caregivers especially focuses on the children of a patient with serious illness and their caregiver, and teaches you the best way to empower them to get the support they need. By the end of this course, you will be able to provide critical avenues of support for the people who are instrumental to your patients care, wellbeing and quality of life.

Stanford Medicine is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team. Visit the FAQs below for important information regarding 1) Date of original release and Termination or expiration date; 2) Accreditation and Credit Designation statements; 3) Disclosure of financial relationships for every person in control of activity content.

What's inside

Syllabus

Course Introduction and Overview

Welcome to Supporting Families and Caregiver, the fourth course in the Palliative Care Always specialization. This course takes a deep dive into the challenges families and friends of a patient with serious illness face and how you can care for and support them as a provider, social worker or family friend. Supporting Families and Caregivers focuses especially on the children of a patient with serious illness and their caregiver, and teaches you the best way to empower them to get the support they need. By the end of this course, you will be able to provide critical avenues of support for the people who are instrumental to your patients care, wellbeing and quality of life. This module will provide you with information on the course structure and first steps.

Review of Palliative Care

This module provides a review of the key concepts learned in the courses Essentials of Palliative Care, Symptom Management in Palliative Care, and Transitions in Care from Survivorship to Hospice. We realize that some learners are interested in only completing specific courses while others are moving through the entire specialization. The following videos are meant as a review for those who have not completed the other courses. You are not required to watch these videos if you feel you have a strong handle on the material. You can check your knowledge with the ungraded quiz in the next section and review the summary videos if necessary. Also contained in this module are the Sarah case study videos from Essentials of Palliative Care, Symptom Management in Palliative Care, and Transitions in Care from Survivorship to Hospice for those who want to review her story.

Child and Family Guidance

Clinicians can support families experiencing cancer by regularly assessing both the child’s adjustment and the parents’ ability and confidence in helping their children cope. Child and family guidance professionals can act as a resource. This module will review basic screening and assessment of child adjustment, and offer practical strategies to help families talk about difficult topics and maintain a sense of normalcy during serious illness.

Supporting the Caregiver

In this module we discuss the caregiver experience in detail, learn how to screen for caregiver distress and provide advice to support caregivers.

Final Steps

Congratulations on completing the course content. You have a few more step to complete the course. First review your reflection, next complete a peer-reviewed course project and then take the final exam. We hope you have enjoyed the course and look forward to seeing you in other classes!

Good to know

Know what's good

, what to watch for

, and possible dealbreakers

Teaches critical strategies for supporting families and friends of patients with serious illnesses, empowering them with essential avenues of support

Specifically addresses the needs of children of patients with serious illnesses and their caregivers, providing practical guidance for their support

Taught by recognized experts in palliative care from Stanford Medicine, ensuring high-quality and up-to-date content

Provides a review of key palliative care concepts for learners who may not have completed previous courses in the specialization

Covers essential aspects of family and child guidance, caregiver support, and final steps to complete the course

Requires completion of a peer-reviewed course project and a final exam, ensuring accountability and understanding of the material

Reviews summary

Supportive care for families

According to students, this course provides supportive care information with engaging assignments accompanied by helpful, specialized peer feedback. However, several learners mention that the subscription renewal process is a hassle since peer reviews can take a significant amount of time to complete and they feel that they are unfairly penalized with course extension charges.

Provides supportive insights

"This course has changed my way of thinking"

"Thank you for providing insightful knowledge"

Engaging but time-consuming peer reviews

"Make it more measurable and don't put you can finish as fast as you could. Because it is not real."

"My gosh! The peer review is taking forever and I have to grade 3 people for every course."

Subscription renewal process can be a hassle

"I am just disappointed that I could not get my submitted work graded on time before my subscription expired"

"You guys just want to suck money out of people. Horrible!"

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Supporting Families and Caregivers with these activities:

Review 'Caregiving: A Guide for Family and Friends' by William H. Burke

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This book will provide additional context to the challenges families and friends of patients with serious illness face, helping you better understand the material covered in the course.

View Melania on Amazon

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Read the book

Form a study group

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Discuss course materials with fellow students to solidify your understanding.

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Find a group of fellow classmates
Plan a discussion schedule

Practice identifying family caregiver needs

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Complete practice exercises to strengthen your ability to assess and meet the needs of family caregivers.

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Review the case studies provided in the course materials
Identify the needs of the family caregivers in the case studies

Three other activities

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Show all six activities

Develop a care plan for a family caregiver

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Create a practical plan to support the needs of a family caregiver.

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Interview a family caregiver
Identify their needs and challenges
Develop a care plan that addresses their needs

Volunteer at a local hospice or palliative care center

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Gain practical experience in supporting families and caregivers of patients with serious illness.

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Find a local hospice or palliative care center
Contact them to inquire about volunteer opportunities

Create a journal entry

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Reflect on the topics covered in the module and apply them to your own experiences with family members and friends who have serious illnesses.

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Identify a topic from the module that resonated with you.
Write a journal entry that explores your thoughts and feelings about the topic.
Consider how the topic applies to your own experiences with family members and friends who have serious illnesses.

Career center

Learners who complete Supporting Families and Caregivers will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Child Psychiatrist

Child Psychiatrists diagnose and treat mental, emotional, and behavioral disorders in children. Supporting Families and Caregivers provides insights into the challenges families and children of patients with serious illness face. This course will help Child Psychiatrists understand the needs of the entire family, enabling them to provide comprehensive and effective care.

See salaries and explore the career path for Child Psychiatrist

Registered Nurse

Registered Nurses provide direct patient care, including monitoring vital signs, administering medications, and educating patients and their families. Supporting Families and Caregivers helps Registered Nurses understand the challenges families of patients with serious illness face and provides strategies for supporting them. This course can help Registered Nurses provide more compassionate and holistic care.

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Geriatric Social Worker

Geriatric Social Workers help older adults and their families cope with the challenges of aging. Supporting Families and Caregivers provides Geriatric Social Workers with insights into the challenges families of patients with serious illness face. This course will help Geriatric Social Workers provide more effective support to their clients and their families.

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Licensed Clinical Social Worker

Licensed Clinical Social Workers provide psychotherapy and counseling to individuals, families, and groups. Supporting Families and Caregivers provides Licensed Clinical Social Workers with insights into the challenges families of patients with serious illness face. This course will help Licensed Clinical Social Workers provide more effective support to their clients and their families.

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Hospice Nurse

Hospice Nurses provide care to patients who are terminally ill. Supporting Families and Caregivers provides Hospice Nurses with insights into the challenges families of patients with serious illness face. This course will help Hospice Nurses provide more compassionate and holistic care.

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Palliative Care Physician

Palliative Care Physicians provide care to patients with serious illness. Supporting Families and Caregivers provides Palliative Care Physicians with insights into the challenges families of patients with serious illness face. This course will help Palliative Care Physicians provide more compassionate and holistic care.

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Family Therapist

Family Therapists help families improve their communication, relationships, and overall functioning. Supporting Families and Caregivers provides Family Therapists with insights into the challenges families of patients with serious illness face. This course will help Family Therapists provide more effective support to their clients.

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Child Life Specialist

Child Life Specialists help children cope with the stress and challenges of hospitalization and medical procedures. Supporting Families and Caregivers provides Child Life Specialists with insights into the challenges families of patients with serious illness face. This course will help Child Life Specialists provide more effective support to their clients and their families.

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Bereavement Counselor

Bereavement Counselors help people cope with the loss of a loved one. Supporting Families and Caregivers provides Bereavement Counselors with insights into the challenges families of patients with serious illness face. This course will help Bereavement Counselors provide more effective support to their clients.

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Chaplain

Chaplains provide spiritual and emotional support to patients and their families. Supporting Families and Caregivers provides Chaplains with insights into the challenges families of patients with serious illness face. This course will help Chaplains provide more compassionate and holistic care.

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Patient Advocate

Patient Advocates help patients navigate the healthcare system and ensure that their rights are protected. Supporting Families and Caregivers provides Patient Advocates with insights into the challenges families of patients with serious illness face. This course will help Patient Advocates provide more effective support to their clients.

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Social Work Case Manager

Social Work Case Managers help people access and coordinate services. Supporting Families and Caregivers provides Social Work Case Managers with insights into the challenges families of patients with serious illness face. This course will help Social Work Case Managers provide more effective support to their clients.

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Physical Therapist

Physical Therapists help people improve their mobility, function, and overall well-being. Supporting Families and Caregivers may be useful for Physical Therapists who work with patients with serious illness and their families. This course can help Physical Therapists understand the challenges families of patients with serious illness face and provide them with strategies for support.

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Occupational Therapist

Occupational Therapists help people improve their ability to perform everyday activities. Supporting Families and Caregivers may be useful for Occupational Therapists who work with patients with serious illness and their families. This course can help Occupational Therapists understand the challenges families of patients with serious illness face and provide them with strategies for support.

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Speech-Language Pathologist

Speech-Language Pathologists help people improve their communication and swallowing skills. Supporting Families and Caregivers may be useful for Speech-Language Pathologists who work with patients with serious illness and their families. This course can help Speech-Language Pathologists understand the challenges families of patients with serious illness face and provide them with strategies for support.

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