Communication Training for Caregivers In Advanced Care Planning

Will be filled out before and after the training so investigators can evaluate the skills learned and how they can be used them in advanced care planning. Questionnaires will be available in both paper form and electronic via REDCap.

1.5 hour Communication Training will be delivered through videoconferencing using the WebEx or Zoom platforms. The Training consists of a 30-minute lecture watched independently, and two modules (ACP Discussions with your Loved One and ACP Discussions with the Medical Team) completed as part of a virtual meeting. The lecture will be pre-recorded by Drs. Applebaum and Parker and will be sent via REDCap to ICs prior to the training to watch idependently. REDCap will log when ICs watch the lecture so that study staff know the participant has completed this aspect of the training. For the second part of the training ICs will participate in a virtual meeting for approximately 90 minutes of experiential role-play exercises where ICs will practice skills in simulated encounters with actors trained to play patients and HCPs.

Participant will complete a survey on distress and receive feedback about distress and given a resource packet with support information and targeted referrals based on needs. The participant will also receive a physical or electronic copy of a book entitled Cancer Caregiving A to Z published by the American Cancer Society. At the conclusion of their participation in the study, EUC participants will be given access to the pre-training video and Advanced Care Planning forms sent to Communication Training participants.

Part II The communication training developed in Part 1 will have two modules (ACP Discussions with your Loved One and ACP Discussions with the Medical Team) and consist of a 20-30 minute lecture and 90 minutes of experiential role-play exercises where ICs will practice skills in simulated encounters with actors trained to play patients and HCPs. Realistic scenarios were created and tailored according to ICs' reported concerns. After training, ICs will be coached through setting a SMART goal related to conducting ACP conversations, which emphasize Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound steps that motivate and direct behavior change. Two weeks post training, a booster phone call will be made to ICs to check progress toward their SMART goal, address barriers with problem-solving and review skills as indicated.