Abstract
Background: Considering the potential impacts of family caregivers on heart failure management and the costs of healthcare, health professionals need to pay attention to the challenges faced by family caregivers. Objective: This study longitudinally explored the caregiving experiences of family caregivers of persons with heart failure. Methods: Serial interview scripts collected from 53 family caregivers were analyzed using a content analysis method. Results: The following themes emerged: (1) accumulating knowledge and skills for caregiving; (2) losing a sense of control; (3) balancing an unstable life; (4) constructing illness memory; (5) centering the patient in daily life; (6) accepting the loss of a family member; (7) coping with grief by drawing on social support; (8) facing financial responsibility; and (9) rethinking hospice care. Conclusion: Family caregivers experience concern about unpredictable caregiving years, disease's fluctuating symptoms and poor prognosis. More educational opportunities, financial counseling programs, and palliative care consultations should be provided.
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 627-633 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Heart and Lung |
| Volume | 50 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Sep 1 2021 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Pulmonary and Respiratory Medicine
- Critical Care and Intensive Care Medicine
- Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine