Providing delirium education for family caregivers of older adults

Using the Knowledge to Action Process, an education session was developed to teach families of older adults about delirium. Seven sessions were held with 16 eligible participants. A significant increase in delirium knowledge was found following education, and many participants believed others should receive similar education. At follow up, most participants were able to recall information related to risk factors and signs of delirium. Families of older adults form a common communication link for their relatives between health care providers across settings; providing education to family caregivers may in part provide a solution to the problem of delirium.     

Social support: the experience of hospice family caregivers

The concepts of social support, reciprocity, cost, and conflict were examined through a methodological study that assessed the reliability and validity of Tilden's (1986) Cost and Reciprocity Index (CRI). The CRI was modified for the face-to-face interviews with 70 family members who were caring for a terminally ill relative enrolled in a hospice program. Item analyses was undertaken with the four subscales because of qualitative comments, a desire to streamline administration of the measure and an overall drop in the alpha coefficients compared with those previously reported. Based on this work 25 items were retained in the four subscales, 13 were eliminated. Cronbach's alpha coefficients and the average inter-item correlation for the revised subscales are reported. Correlation analysis of the revised subscales was also undertaken in order to explore the relationship among the subscales and with time since the care receiver's diagnosis.     

Factors of positive appraisal of care among Japanese family caregivers of older adults

The purpose of this study was to examine factors of positive appraisal of care among Japanese family caregivers of older adults. The Positive Appraisal of Care (PAC) scale used in this study is a multidimensional Japanese measure and has four domains: relationship satisfaction, consequential gain, role confidence, and normative fulfillment. Three hundred and thirty-seven caregivers participated in this survey. Multiple regression analyses revealed that social support and caregiver belief in caregiving had a consistent impact on all domains of the PAC, whereas the impact of caregiver and care recipient characteristics varied among the domains. For example, caregiver age had a significant impact on role confidence and normative fulfillment but not on relationship satisfaction and consequential gain. The differential impact of caregiver and care recipient characteristics on the domains of the PAC underlines the usefulness of a multidimensional measurement.     

Life of a caregiver simulation: teaching students about frail older adults and their family caregivers

The number of older adults with caregiving needs is rapidly escalating, and the majority of these adults are cared for at home by unpaid family members. Nurse educators must better prepare nurse graduates to meet the needs of this population, as well as to include family caregivers as part of the health care team. This article describes the design, implementation, and preliminary outcomes of a unique learning experience, the Life of a Caregiver Simulation, which uses narrative pedagogy to increase students' awareness and understanding of the needs of older adults, their family caregivers, and the community services they use. Subjective data from students (N = 25) indicated the simulation served as an effective catalyst for students to experience first-hand and understand the stress and burdens of caregiving.     

Educational needs of employed family caregivers of older adults: Evaluation of a workplace project

Family members provide 80% of care for older adults in the United States. Many family caregivers are employed either full or part time. For employed caregivers, personal health, job performance, and the ability to advance their career are affected by the weight of their caregiving responsibilities. Some find it necessary to quit their jobs. Employed caregivers report a need for caregiving information; however, they seldom think of their workplace as a valuable resource. Results of the second of a 3-phase research and service project are discussed. Based on a needs assessment completed by employees of a large institution, educational sessions were offered during 3 consecutive months. Thirty-five employees attended 1 or more sessions. The sessions were evaluated highly on a 5-point Likert-type scale for usefulness of information, quality of presentation, and value of session. Sharing project results with the employing institution's human resources department yielded commitment to integrate caregiver education and referral into a newly organized work-life program. When properly managed, such workplace programs can provide needed assistance to employed caregivers. A nurse working with older adults is an ideal provider to initiate and manage this kind of program.     

Social support needs of family caregivers of psychiatric patients from three age groups.

Sixty family caregivers of child, adult, and elderly psychiatric patients were interviewed to determine their unique and common support needs. Content analysis of interview data was used to identify support categories and their properties. Support needs expressed by caregivers paralleled the general types of support described in the social support literature (emotional, feedback, informational, and instrumental); however, for many categories under each general type the specific meaning of the support was directly linked to the psychiatric caregiving role. Most of the differences in support needs among caregivers from the three age groups reflected the caregivers' stage of life and the length of time they had been caregiving. The group of caregivers of adult patients reported having the least support. Although many support needs were expressed, the needed support did not exist.     

Exploring experiences of family caregivers for older adults with chronic illness: A scoping review

A Scoping Review was conducted to explore key issues that underpin the experiences of family caregivers of older adults with chronic illness. The review aims to identify the gap in literature and synthesise evidence on this topic. Globally, family caregivers of older adults with chronic illness experience burden. Evidence suggests that family caregivers’ needs are poorly understood and remain largely under recognised by healthcare services. Moreover, little is known about the experience of family caregivers caring for older adults with multiple chronic conditions. Data bases used included: (EBSCOhost, CINAHL, Science Direct, SCOPUS, MEDLINE, PubMed, ISI web of science and grey literature. 3352 records were identified, 58 full-text articles were assessed for eligibility, and 11 papers included in the literature review. Data are narratively synthesized. This review provides findings that suggest further research.     

Quality of life perceptions of family caregivers of older adults stroke survivors: A longitudinal study

BackgroundThere are few formal outreach and out-patient support services to help family caring for older adults who have had a stroke in developing countries. Family caregivers experience negative changes in their quality of life.AimTo assess quality of life perceptions of spouse and non-spouse caregivers of older adult stroke survivors.MethodsA longitudinal survey study. A convenience sample of forty-eight family caregivers was recruited from the Special Care Stroke Unit at a University Hospital in South Brazil. Quality of life was measured using the World Health Organization's Quality of Life BREF survey upon discharge from the hospital (Time 1) and two months after (Time 2).ResultsNon-spouse caregivers had the lowest Social Relationship scores at Time 1 (p < .001) and at Time 2 (p = .005), both in terms of personal relationship, the quality of their sex lives and support received from others.ConclusionUnfortunately, formal community support programs for family caregivers in Brazil are lacking. Post-stroke caregiving is largely a family affair. Quality of Life assessments among family caregivers of older adult stroke survivors are crucial, particularly after discharge.     

Psychological,physical, social,and spiritual well-being similarities between Korean older adults and family caregivers

There is a growing recognition that the similarities between older adults and family caregivers has both practical and research implications; caregivers' well-being influences older adults' well-being and vice versa. There has been a paucity of studies that explore the similarities between Korean older adults and their caregivers. This study aims to examine psychological, physical, social, and spiritual well-being similarities among 157 older adult-caregiver dyads in Seoul, Korea. There was a significant degree of similarities between older adults and their caregivers with respect to psychological, social, and spiritual well-being, but not to physical well-being. Present findings suggest that nurses and other health care professionals should be involved and collaborate with family caregivers to take care of older adults; to understand the dynamic, caring relationships between older adults and their family caregivers; and to improve the well-being of older adults as well as their family caregivers.