Family Care Giving at Home as a Solitary Journey

Abstract

Home caregivers play an increasingly important role in providing health services for family members. Although many studies have been done to measure burden and related concepts, few studies have examined holistically the caregiving experiences. A grounded-theory design was used to better understand the caregiving experience from the perspective of caregivers. Seventeen families from a metropolitan intermountain western area comprised the sample. Recipients of care ranged in age from 14 months to 87 years. People with documented mental illness, dementia, or Alzheimer's disease were excluded from the sample. Interviews were conducted in participants' homes. Data were analyzed through constant comparative analysis. The central idea emerging from the data was caregiving as a solitary journey. Burden, responsibility, isolation, and commitment shaped the context of the journey.

Emotional well-being in spouses of patients with advanced heart failure

“…Our findings are consistent with research in other chronic-illness populations 29 -31 and among frail older adults 32,33 demonstrating that caregivers 34 are psychologically vulnerable. Consistent with Scott, 35 our findings indicate that the emotional well-being scores of caregivers in our sample were below the normative values established for age-matched samples in the general population.…”

Working with family carers: towards a partnership approach

“…5,63,69,70,73,[76][77][78] The challenges this poses should not be underestimated and the impact of resource constraints and pressure for rapid hospital discharge must be fully acknowledged. However, notwithstanding these difficulties, for progress to be made there needs to be a cognitive shift in the way that professionals perceive carers.…”

Barriers to Pain Management: Caregiver Perceptions and Pain Talk by Hospice Interdisciplinary Teams

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