“Has Anyone Been There Now?”: An Interview Study on the Support Experiences and Unmet Needs of Informal Long-Distance Caregivers for Patients at the End of Life

Abstract

In the German context, research is lacking on the support experiences and unmet needs of informal caregivers in end-of-life situations who are geographically distanced from their ill relatives. The current study aimed at deepening our understanding of the specific end-of-life support experiences and needs of informal long-distance caregivers. The study employed an explorative design, applying qualitative interviews. Thirty-three long-distance family caregivers participated in the study (December 2021–October 2022). The results showed that long-distance caregivers relied on close exchange and cooperation with local family and non-kin caregivers. They also expressed the wish to be considered more proactively by professional caregivers, with respect to their specific geographic situations. They further recommended that local care networks be built to support patients. Hypotheses were deduced from long-distance caregivers’ recommendations for support interventions. The results may be useful for the development of an online information resource for long-distance caregivers in end-of-life situations.