Aarogyam Community Development and Impact of Whole Person Care on People with Long-Term Illnesses: A Community-Led Intervention

Trauma can result in chronic illness, or chronic illness can result in trauma, but the two are frequently interconnected. There is a lack of community intervention models that empower people with multiple illnesses to improve their health and address their interrelated, persistent symptoms and trauma. There is a significant care gap, particularly in ethnic minority populations, as well as a lack of access to an informal trauma-informed care strategy.

This paper discusses the development of a community-led initiative on the whole person care model and proof of concept using a pre–post design to assess acceptability, feasibility, preliminary evidence of impact.

Aarogyam Community, a community-led initiative, focuses on trauma-informed and culturally responsive interventions for racial and ethnic minority communities, adopting individualized, integrative, and whole-person care approaches.

Those who had participated in a virtual support group at least thrice per week for six weeks were evaluated using a mixed-methods approach. Pre- and postintervention attitudes towards online support, mental health, and experiences, as well as generalised confidence and symptom control were assessed. On a qualitative assessment, the strategy was found to be highly acceptable and feasible.

The members of the community experienced significant improvements in their personal functioning and a reduction in stigma and psychological distress. It was discovered that the intervention significantly reduced psychological interpersonal trauma symptoms. Participants reported that the community allowed them to support others and feel less isolated.

The proof-of-concept for virtual community support for people with chronic illnesses provides encouraging evidence with high levels of acceptability, feasibility, and effectiveness. Further research is required to confirm the novel finding