Cancer Caregiving in the United States by Ronda C. Talley Ruth McCorkle & Walter F. Baile

Author:Ronda C. Talley, Ruth McCorkle & Walter F. Baile
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Springer New York, New York, NY

The Cancer Care Recipient

Literature related to caregivers of the patients who are terminally-ill began to appear with increasing frequency in the early 1990s. Two predominant themes are represented in this early literature. These are related to the psychological status of caregivers and the environment in which the caregiving is taking place. A summary of this literature is indicated below.

Psychological Status

The concept of concern for caregivers, even those who are not taking care of patients with cancer, was documented in the early 1990s (Charlton 1992). Concern for the quality of life of caregivers encompasses care tasks as well as caregiver experiences, including burdens as well as positive aspects (Nijboer et al. 1998). In the first 4 weeks of caregiving, quality of life for caregivers is highest in social well-being. However, it is lowest in physical well-being (McMillan 1996). As time moves on, caregivers tend to adjust. Psychosocial status tends to improve in caregivers from the beginning point of caregiving to 3 months of caregiving. At this point, the effect levels off, with psychological well-being remaining the same after 6 months (Jepson et al. 1999). Quality of life can also be improved by intervention (Smeenk et al. 1998).

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