Climate change and health in the context of family carers and non-professional Caregivers

Climate change has a variety of direct and indirect effects on human health. Rising temperatures, more frequent and more intense heatwaves, an increased risk of allergies, extreme weather events and growing exposure to air pollution pose new challenges for the care of vulnerable groups. While the effects of climate change in professional care, such as "Green Nursing" (Dullinger 2023), are being addressed in research, there have so far been few efforts to pursue this approach in lay care. The project "Climate change and health in the context of lay care" aims to examine and strengthen the health literacy of 24-hour caregivers and caregiving relatives with regard to climate-related challenges. For this aim, a concept for a digital tool is being developed that enables people in lay care settings to incorporate information on climate change (consequences) into their everyday lives with the person receiving care. A fully integrated mixed-model longitudinal study design was chosen to answer the research questions. Different data is collected for a basic data set (literature research, weather data, patient files or a nursing history). During the implementation phases of the project, qualitative standardized interviews will be conducted and evaluated to accompany the digital tool. On the other hand, a quantitative survey will be conducted to record the health literacy of 24-hour caregivers and caregiving relatives.