TY - JOUR
T1 - Reciprocal suffering
T2 - Caregiver concerns during hospice care
AU - Wittenberg-Lyles, Elaine
AU - Demiris, George
AU - Oliver, Debra Parker
AU - Burt, Stephanie
N1 - Funding Information:
This article draws from a larger pilot equivalency clinical trial funded by the NIH National Institute of Nursing Research ( R21 NR010744-01 ). The larger project aims to demonstrate the feasibility of delivering a problem-solving intervention framework called ADAPT (Attitude, Define, Alternatives, Predict, Try) through videophone technology and comparing this delivery with face-to-face delivery of the same intervention. 15–17 The intervention is designed to help caregivers be effective in solving problems pertaining to the caregiving experience by 1) creatively dealing with obstacles, 2) optimistically and realistically involving their patients in the process, 3) developing a plan, and 4) making use of expert information. Hospice patients and their caregivers were randomly assigned to receive the problem-solving intervention either face to face (Intervention Group 1) or through videophone (Intervention Group 2). The project presented here explores audiotaped discussions of the problem-solving intervention between hospice caregivers and research social workers in both face-to-face encounters and videophone calls. Data analyzed for this study consist of both control and intervention groups; differences between the two mediums were not explored, as caregiver talk about caregiving was the focal point for the study. The study was approved by the University of Washington Institutional Review Board.
PY - 2011/2
Y1 - 2011/2
N2 - Context: For many hospice caregivers, the constancy and difficulty of caregiving impact their physical quality of life and cause depression, psychological distress, guilt, loneliness, and restrictions on social activities. Objectives: Deviating from traditional unidimensional research on hospice caregivers, this study explored the transactional nature of reciprocal suffering by examining caregiver concerns through four dimensions: physical, psychological, social, and spiritual. Methods: Researchers analyzed audiotapes of intervention discussions between hospice caregivers and research social workers. Results: Results indicated that, of the 125 pain talk utterances, most referenced psychological concern (49%), followed by physical (28%), social (22%), and spiritual (2%) concerns. Reflections on concerns revealed a global perspective of caregiving, which highlighted the patient's needs juxtaposed to the caregiver's recognized limitations. Conclusion: By examining the reciprocal nature of suffering for caregivers, this study reinforced the need for assessing caregivers in hospice care, with specific emphasis on the importance of providing caregiver education on pain management.
AB - Context: For many hospice caregivers, the constancy and difficulty of caregiving impact their physical quality of life and cause depression, psychological distress, guilt, loneliness, and restrictions on social activities. Objectives: Deviating from traditional unidimensional research on hospice caregivers, this study explored the transactional nature of reciprocal suffering by examining caregiver concerns through four dimensions: physical, psychological, social, and spiritual. Methods: Researchers analyzed audiotapes of intervention discussions between hospice caregivers and research social workers. Results: Results indicated that, of the 125 pain talk utterances, most referenced psychological concern (49%), followed by physical (28%), social (22%), and spiritual (2%) concerns. Reflections on concerns revealed a global perspective of caregiving, which highlighted the patient's needs juxtaposed to the caregiver's recognized limitations. Conclusion: By examining the reciprocal nature of suffering for caregivers, this study reinforced the need for assessing caregivers in hospice care, with specific emphasis on the importance of providing caregiver education on pain management.
KW - Caregiver
KW - caregiver burden
KW - caregiver quality of life
KW - hospice
KW - pain management
KW - suffering
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=79951871116&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2010.04.026
DO - 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2010.04.026
M3 - Article
C2 - 21146356
AN - SCOPUS:79951871116
SN - 0885-3924
VL - 41
SP - 383
EP - 393
JO - Journal of Pain and Symptom Management
JF - Journal of Pain and Symptom Management
IS - 2
ER -