Potential caregivers for homebound elderly: More numerous than supposed?
Hanyok LA et al. - Caregiver experience is varied. Interviewees reported a variety of motivations for becoming caregivers and both positive and negative aspects of the experience. Caregivers in this study were diverse with respect to sex and relationship to the patient, suggesting the pool of potential caregivers may be larger than previously thought. When thinking about long-term home care for the chronically ill elderly, many people automatically imagine a spouse or child as the primary caregiver. In this study, however, 41% of the caregivers interviewed were unrelated to the person receiving the care. In addition to this diversity, the authors found that motivations for providing care varied among participants; that their different experiences ranged from positive to negative, or a little of both; and that a few caregivers felt their attitudes changed for the better over the course of giving assistance. [more...]
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