Comfort level of caregivers of cancer patients receiving palliative care

Abstract

Objective:To verify the association between the level of comfort of the caregiver and socio-demographic variables related to caregiving, and the patient’s functional status and symptoms. Method:Cross-sectional study with non-probabilistic intentional sample. The instruments Palliative Performance Scale (score 0 to 100%), Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (symptom scores from zero to ten) and Holistic Comfort Questionnaire (total score ranging from 49 to 294 and mean score from 1 to 6) were used. The relationship between comfort scores and independent variables was calculated by multiple linear regression. Results:Fifty informal caregivers participated in the study - 80% were female, 32% were 60 years old or older, 36% were children of the patient, 58% had paid work and 60% did not have help in the care. The mean overall comfort was 4.52 points. A better functional status of the patients was associated with higher levels of comfort of the caregivers. Older caregivers who received helped in the care activities presented higher comfort scores. Conclusion:The level of comfort of caregivers of cancer patients receiving palliative care was associated with socio-demographic variables and patients’ functional status and symptoms.

Identifying the Prevalence and Correlates of Caregiver-Reported Symptoms in Home Hospice Patients at the End of Life

“…With regard to the association between younger caregiver age and higher ESAS scores, two international studies have shown that younger caregivers have worse perceptions of caregiving and feel less comfortable in their role compared with their older counterparts, which may impact on their symptom reporting. 18,19 We also found that younger patients had higher caregiver-reported ESAS scores, which we postulate could be related to the disease profile that younger terminally ill patients experience compared with older patients. Although we only examined patients with cancer to noncancer diagnoses, future studies are needed to compare disease-specific diagnoses (specific cancer diagnoses, congestive heart failure [CHF], chronic obstructive pulmonary disease [COPD], dementia, etc.)…”

Variables related to the comfort of the family of people in critical care

“…[8] Another study revealed that older caregivers presented a higher level of comfort when compared to younger caregivers. [13] The authors cite experience and resilience that can explain this feeling related to older caregivers.…”

“…The higher level found for spouses may be related to the fact that they imagine each other's caregivers in case of illness. [13] Furthermore, the fact that women and mothers present lower levels of comfort in the dimension "Interaction with yourself and daily life" can be reinforced by the historical conception of their responsibility for the care of the house and children.…”

Cuidados Paliativos: Conhecimento De Enfermeiros E Aplicabilidade No Âmbito Hospitalar

“…De acordo com o Associação Norte-Americana de Registros Centrais de Câncer surgiram 1.688.780 novos casos de câncer, em 2017, com projeções de 600.920 mortes pela doença nos Estados Unidos 2 . Estima-se que até 2025 haja 25 milhões de novos casos de câncer anualmente [3][4] .…”