Abstract
Object : Caravanmate workers (CMWs) are nationally registered professionals who are responsible for helping community people understand and improve community life for those with dementia. This study investigated the frequency, types, and effectiveness of their activities by community size. Method : Self-reported anonymous questionnaires were mailed to 1996 CMWs who lived in Hokkaido, Japan, in June 2008. Their activities were analyzed by the population size of the communities in which each CMW was registered. Community sizes were divided into 5-classes. The data was analyzed by χ2test and other statistical methods based on the types of data. Result and Conclusion : A total of 901 valid answers were received and among those were 357(39.6%) care managers and 101(11.2%) public health nurses. Those with previous experience in community activities comprised 64.7% and the rate of CMWs with experience as a lecturer in the community comprised 39.2% . By population size, subjects with outreach experience to communities of 50-100 thousand were significantly more frequent. When asked about their experiences as CMWs, most subjects gave positive responses such as "Learned a lot from these activities" and "Hoping to continue these activities." Whereas CMWs in communities under 10 thousand population reported feeling a greater burden from these activities than those who lived in communities over 10 thousand population. CMWs who worked in communities with a population of 50-100 thousand expressed more satisfaction than others. CMWs who were registered in a city with a population of 300 thousand reported a lower self-evaluation. These findings suggest that the activities of CMWs should be adjusted to the size of the community they are working in.
