Managing caregiver tasks among family caregivers of cancer patients in Hong Kong

Twenty-nine family caregivers of terminally ill cancer patients in Hong Kong were asked about their perceived difficulty in managing caregiver tasks. Results showed that the level of difficulty in handling the three main aspects of tasks, that is the direct care, intrapersonal tasks, and interpersonal ties, were similar (chi2 = 0.71, P > 0.05). The individual tasks identified as extremely difficult included compensation for personal time (31%), updating knowledge of reimbursement mechanism (20.7%), and emotionally accepting the likelihood of a progressive downward course of illness (17.2%). Mann-Whitney tests indicated that caregivers who had a shorter duration of caregiving experience perceived significantly greater difficulty in direct care (P < 0.05), intrapersonal tasks (P < 0.05), and overall tasks (P < 0.05). These findings indicate the need for the provision of counselling and educational support for these caregivers.