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Alzheimer's disease caregiving information and skills. Part II: Family caregiver issues and concerns
Author(s) -
Farran Carol J.,
Loukissa Dimitra,
Perraud Suzanne,
Paun Olimpia
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
research in nursing and health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1098-240X
pISSN - 0160-6891
DOI - 10.1002/nur.20006
Subject(s) - psychological intervention , family caregivers , caregiver stress , psychology , stressor , caregiver burden , gerontology , clinical psychology , medicine , nursing , disease , dementia , psychiatry , pathology
In recent years researchers have carried out an increasing number of clinical trials with family caregivers of the elderly. The results of these interventions have suggested that caregiver skill‐building interventions may be more effective than information/support interventions. Although researchers have given considerable attention to the information and support needed by family caregivers, less is known about how this information and support translates into caregiver skills or into changes in behavior. This is the second in a series of three articles on a study in which researchers used qualitative methods to analyze summaries from the group component of a larger caregiver clinical trial. In this article we describe caregiver issues and concerns in five major areas: (a) dealing with change, (b) managing competing responsibilities and stressors, (c) providing a broad spectrum of care, (d) finding and using resources, and (e) experiencing emotional and physical responses to care. We identify specific skills needed by caregivers in addressing these caregiving issues and concerns, and we compare and contrast skilled with less skilled caregivers. Further work is needed concerning the focus and methods of future caregiver skill‐based interventions. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Res Nurs Health 27:40–51, 2004