FAMILY CAREGIVING AT THE END OF LIFE CARE

Radka Šerfelová, Katarína Žiaková, Ľubomíra Ježová
Institute of Nursing, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine, Martin, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia

Korespondenční autor: Radka Šerfelová (serfelova@jfmed.uniba.sk)

ISSN 1804-7181 (On-line)

Full verze:

Submitted:12. 12. 2011
Accepted: 1. 6. 2012
Published online: 28. 6. 2012

Summary

Aim: A study of the relationship between the burden of family caregivers, the overall life quality of caregivers and caregivers’ satisfaction in providing care to dying patients.

Methods: This quantitative prospective study used three standardised questionnaires as the means of data collection: Caregiver Strain Index – the assessment of the burden of a caregiver, Caregiver Quality of Life Index Cancer – identification areas of the life quality of a caregiver and FAMCARE – the assessment of the satisfaction with providing care. The research sample consisted of 263 caregivers providing care to dying patients.

Results: The results of the correlation analysis showed a linear relationship between the burden, the satisfaction and overall life quality of caregivers (p<0.05) as well as significant differences among the monitored components in terms of forms of providing care. The caregivers whose relatives have been provided palliative/hospice care indicate the lowest strain, the highest satisfaction with the care and the best overall quality of life. Discussion: The results of our study accept the conclusion of several studies and systematic reviews. The results confirmed that the caregivers themselves, providing the care for the dying, require care and support of their life quality from the nurses.

Conclusion: Clinical practice should focus on ways of empowering families and public education, as well as intensifying home care, risk assessment, and training practitioners in end of life care.

Keywords: caregiver; end of life care, burden; quality of life; satisfaction; nursing

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