[procaare] HCC:Post Conference discussion -32

[Insight Initiative Team <insight@hdnet.org>]

HCC: Post Conference discussion - 32
- HDN Key Correspondents/Rapporteur Team,Thailand
*************************************

[Moderators note: While reading posting 32 and 33 consider the question: 'Are community
based volunteer HCC programmes the answer to sustainability?']

Capacity Building Tool for Community and Family Caregivers (Part 1)

Delegates attending the session entitled "Capacity Building for Community Caregivers"
facilitated by Dr. Simon Baker of Population Council/Horizons Project hoped to find the
template for an effective model of care which they could return home with.

The model piloted by Lampang Provincial Hospital involves the family in home and community
care. They work closely with Village Health Volunteers who assist families in the delivery
of care. This care model enhances the physical and psychological skills of the caregivers,
which they believe will help in the improvement of the quality of life of PLHAs but has
limited strategies in place to address stress and burnout of the volunteers.

The model makes use of two manuals, "Stay Fit", a manual that serves as a guide for the
diagnosis of opportunistic infections, which are symptom based and uses complementary
medicines like herbals, and pain killers for the management of fever and pain. The second
manual serves as guide addressing the psychological concerns of PLHAs.

This was patterned after the syndromic approach to STD(Sexually Transmitted Diseases) case
management. Models such as this may be effective in settings where there are no doctors
and medical health practitioners. It also maximizes the referral system that has been set
in a community. There are constraints related to the model, like client drug compliance,
which may lead to the development of resistant types of infections and further contribute
to health deterioration, through liver complications and other problems.

Models which do not require CD4 count and the viral load monitoring have merit especially
in resource poor areas, but an in depth assessment of its efficacy has to be looked into,
validation needs to be done in order to prevent further complications of the health of a
person who is already immune-compromised. We need to balance cost effectiveness vis-a- vis
quality life and optimum care as well continuous and sustainable counseling and health
promotion.


HDN Key Correspondent Team
Rapporteur Team
E-mail: correspondents@hdnet.org

*************************************

The Insight Initiative Project is managed by Health & Development Networks (HDN) in
collaboration with the Thailand Red Cross Society, the World Health Organization and the
Royal Thailand Government, with financial support from AusAid and UNAIDS.

For more information about this project (the 'Insight Initiative'), visit the HDN website
at: http://www.hdnet.org

Fifth International Conference on Home and Community Care for Persons Living with HIV/AIDS
Chiang Mai, Thailand - 17-20 December 2001
Website: http://www.hiv2001.com


*************************************
















--
To send a message to ProCAARE, write to: procaare@usa.healthnet.org
To subscribe or unsubscribe, write to: majordomo@usa.healthnet.org
in the body of the message type: subscribe procaare OR unsubscribe procaare
To contact a person, send a message to: owner-procaare@usa.healthnet.org
Information and archives: http://www.procaare.org

The views presented in ProCAARE do not necessarily reflect the opinions of
SATELLIFE  (http://www.healthnet.org), the Harvard AIDS Institute
(http://aids.harvard.edu), or Health & Development Networks
(http://www.hdnet.org), unless otherwise stated. The reader assumes all
responsibilities in using information posted or archived by ProCAARE.
Reproduction is welcomed, provided ProCAARE and procaare@usa.healthnet.org
are quoted, and SATELLIFE is informed of usage.