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- Title
The experiences of older caregivers of cancer patients following hospital discharge.
- Authors
Schwartz, Abby J.; Riedel, Richard F.; LeBlanc, Thomas W.; Desai, Devi; Jenkins, Carol; Mahoney, Ellen; Humphreys, Janice; Hendrix, Cristina C.
- Abstract
<bold>Purpose: </bold>This study addressed the experiences of older caregivers of cancer patients in the 2 weeks following a hospital discharge. It sought to understand the challenges they face in providing supportive care to patients at home.<bold>Methods: </bold>Qualitative descriptive interviews with a narrative approach were conducted with each caregiver at 1 and 2 weeks following the patient's discharge from the hospital. A thematic analysis approach was used to identify the themes that emerged from the caregiver interviews.<bold>Results: </bold>Caregivers were primarily Caucasian (77%), were mostly 68 years of age or older (62%), and were primarily caring for a spouse (69%). Three key themes emerged from the qualitative analysis: caregiver and patient wellness are connected, caregivers' struggle with control issues, and challenges in communication with health professionals.<bold>Conclusions: </bold>These findings highlight psychosocial changes that caregivers experience over the 2-week time period following hospital discharge. Implications include the need to identify interventions to better prepare caregivers for the post-discharge period.
- Subjects
EXPERIENCE; OLDER caregivers; CANCER patients; HOSPITAL admission &; discharge; QUALITATIVE research; INTERVIEWING; THEMATIC analysis; HEALTH of cancer patients
- Publication
Supportive Care in Cancer, 2019, Vol 27, Issue 2, p609
- ISSN
0941-4355
- Publication type
journal article
- DOI
10.1007/s00520-018-4355-2