Review of caring training for caregivers of children with cerebral palsy

Children with Cerebral Palsy (CP) encounter different pathologies since their births. Therefore, it is seems necessary for them to receive professional services that require spending so much money and time. Considering the fact that parents’ inappropriate care sometimes can unwittingly exacerbate these children’s conditions and the amount of education and intervention in each therapy session is insufficient to bring about brain neuroplastic changes and interaction with the environment, it is necessary to offer education and training in a way that they can have greater impact on the performance of the children and save time and costs for the parents and professionals. The purpose of the present study was to narratively review caring training for caregivers of children with CP.
Initially, related literature was reviewed. Google scholar, PubMed, ProQuest, Elsevier, OVID, Web of science, Elsevier, OT seeker, SID, Magiran, IRAN MEDEX, and MEDLIB were throroughly searched. The combinations of keywords including the interventions (caring, self-care, home nursing), participants (parents, caregivers, mother), intervention (teaching, training, education), and disability (CP and physical disabilities) were used. Articles were searched from 1990 to June 2015. Titles and abstracts of 427 Article were reviewed.
A total of 14 studies were included in the search results. The impact of education on both parent and the child, factors influencing parents following the training, and various methods of training were studied.
Caring training for caregivers of children with CP has a positive effect on caregiver’s mental health and the participation of children in activities of daily living and their fine and gross motor function. But further investigations are required to provide content suited to the needs of caregivers and increase communication between caregivers, professionals, and caregivers with similar conditions.