Nursing care plan for the informal caregiver. A case report

We define the caregiver as the person responsible for attending the daily needs of another person who is unable to care for him/herself due to illness or disability. Caregivers are responsible for the physical, emotional and often financial support of these individuals. Family caregivers are described as "informal" by health professionals to refer to those who care for members of their own family without payment. We describe the case of a mother (informal caregiver) with a 24-year-old son who was totally dependent. An individual nursing care plan was developed, in which risk for caregiver role strain related to the severity and chronicity of the care receiver's condition, among other diagnoses, was detected. This plan includes desired outcomes and nursing interventions. Primary care nurses should pay special attention to the care of these informal caregivers.