Purpose

This pilot project was part of a larger research program to design, implement, and evaluate a model for family conferences for frail Native American elders who are at risk of maltreatment because chronic and debilitating illnesses have forced them to become dependent on younger family members. The purpose of this two phased pilot project was to develop, pilot, and assess the feasibility of a large scale implementation of an intervention, the Family Care Conference (FCC). In the first phase, background and contextual information was generated to ground the implementation and evaluation of the FCC intervention. The second phase involved the implementation of the FCC and its subsequent evaluation.

Aims

Analysis was aimed at: (a) exploring the current meaning and practices of addressing elder maltreatment among Native American elders on a reservation in the Northwest, (b) identifying cultural norms for communicating and showing respect for the 'right way', (c) determining comparative merits of group vs. individual interview formats, (d) identifying the key dimensions and variables in planning, implementing and evaluating the FCC intervention, and (e) refining the FCC model as appropriate.

Methods

Using a descriptive, exploratory design data were collected from multiple sources including guided interviews (individual and group), observation (direct and participant), and documents in the public domain or project generated.

Updated: 06/14/2011 11:39:44