DECAF Family Caregiver Tool

Greater Recognition for the Integral Role of Family Caregivers: More effective collaboration is needed between family caregivers and health care professionals in order to improve care coordination across settings. Family caregivers have been a “silent partner” in health care delivery, functioning as de facto care coordinators. During care handoffs, family caregivers make important contributions to ensuring quality, safety, and adherence to patient preferences and their role needs to be formally recognized. An important initial step in this regard is to develop a standardized approach to defining the type and intensity of the roles family caregivers play to facilitate improved communication. One potential working definition is the “DECAF” classification developed by our Care Transitions Program. Modeled after the TNM system used in cancer, each of the letters of DECAF (or FACED) refer to a different contribution made by a family caregiver: D= Direct Care Provision, E= Emotional Support, C= Care Coordination, A= Advocacy, and F= Financial. A simple numeric rating system could be applied whereby 0=does not contribute in this area and 3= makes significant contribution to area.

Coleman EA, Williams MV. Executing High Quality Care Transitions: A Call to Do It Right. Journal of Hospital Medicine. 2007; 2(5):287-290.

The Care Transitions Program^SM is made possible in part by the generous support of The John A. Hartford Foundation.

The Care Transitions Program^SM is based in the Division of Health Care Policy and Research at the University of Colorado Denver, School of Medicine.