Effectiveness of Simulation-Based Empathy Enhancement Program for Caregivers (SEE-C) Evaluated by Older Adults Receiving Care

The aim of this study was to examine whether a Simulation-based Empathy Enhancement program for Caregivers of the Elderly (SEE-C) was effective in increasing program satisfaction and positive emotional changes of older adults. A total of 100 older adults living alone were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group was interviewed by caregivers who experienced SEE-C while the control group was interviewed by caregivers who did not experience SEE-C. In both elderly groups, post session satisfaction and affective state were assessed using a Session Evaluation Questionnaire (SEQ). Chi-square test and Mann-Whitney U test were conducted. The experimental group (n = 49) reported significantly higher scores than the control group (n = 51) for all three categories of SEQ: session-depth (Mann-Whitney U = 1651.5, p = 0.005), session-smoothness (Mann-Whitney U = 1803.0, p = 0.000), and emotion-positivity (Mann-Whitney U = 1783.0, p = 0.000). However, the experimental group had significantly lower scores for the arousal category of SEQ (Mann-Whitney U = 873.5, p = 0.009). SEE-C could have a positive impact on interviews for elderly care in terms of raising the satisfaction of the interviewee.

Automated summary

The study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a Simulation-based Empathy Enhancement program for Caregivers of the Elderly (SEE-C) in increasing program satisfaction and positive emotional changes of older adults. The experimental group showed significantly higher scores in session-depth, session-smoothness, and emotion-positivity compared to the control group, indicating that SEE-C could positively impact interviews for elderly care. However, the experimental group had lower scores for the arousal category, suggesting room for improvement in this aspect.