Learning Objective #1: understand patterns of sleep, caregiver burden, and fatigue in spousal caregivers of heart failure patients.

Learning Objective #2: understand the feasibility of delivering a social support intervention via a telehealth communication device.

---

Spousal caregivers with major caregiving responsibilities for seriously chronically ill persons may neglect healthy lifestyle behaviors and be vulnerable for poor health outcomes. Caregivers are more stressed and have mortality risks 63% higher than non-caregivers. The objective of this feasibility study was to examine the outcomes of an 8-week social support (SS) intervention on the health outcomes of burden, fatigue, and sleep in spousal caregivers of heart failure (HF) patients.

A repeated measures design examined patterns at baseline, 1, and 2 months, with random assignment to intervention or control groups. The Health Buddy delivered the SS intervention. The intervention group accessed the Health Buddy daily for 10-15 minutes for information on HF, healthy lifestyle behaviors, emotional support, seeking SS, and conflict management. Burden and fatigue were measured using valid, reliable questionnaires. Sleep was measured with the Actiwatch L.

The 19 participants were 79% Caucasian and 84% women with a mean age of 64 years. In the control group, caregiver burden decreased (demand by 13%; difficulty 4%; average burden 9%), but not as much as for the intervention group (demand by 15%; difficulty 13%; average burden 15%). The intervention group was less fatigued than the control group at baseline and generally reported a lower level of fatigue at subsequent time points. For the intervention group, total sleep time decreased by 40 minutes while number of wake bouts after sleep onset increased from 48 to 55; in the control group, sleep time increased by 10 minutes and number of wake bouts decreased by four. Sleep latency rose in the control group from 18 to 20 minutes and decreased in the intervention group from 28 to 15 minutes.

Components of SS can be delivered via a telehealth communication device. Intervention participants diminished burden, maintained lower levels of fatigue and improved sleep latency.