What was the most compelling thing you learned about the caregiver experience from an insider’s perspective? The most compelling thing I learned about the caregivers experience is that she possessed inner strengths that help to get her through this difficult situation. The caregiver was very caring, persistent, loving, and loyal to her dying mother even though it was very difficult situation to deal with. The caregiver express her loving and caring nature by feeding, bathing, and quitting school to take care of her ailing mother. The caregiver was also persistent by constantly working to help assist her mother needs daily until death. The caregiver also expressed her loyalty to her mother by being there for her when many of the other family
I, of course, knew my mother as a mother. As I have reached adulthood and become a mother myself, I have also known her as a friend. My mom shared much of herself with me, and I saw sides of my mother as she struggled with her cancer that I had never seen before, especially her strong belief in positive thinking and the importance of quality of life. I was privileged to know so many facets of my mother, but certainly I did not know all. There were parts of her life that I didn’t see, relationships that I didn’t know about. Last night, at the wake, so many stories were told to me about my mom’s strength, courage, humor, kindness, her quietness, her loyalty as a friend. It was so special to hear of these things that my mom said and did, to know some of these other parts of her life. I hope that her friends and family will continue to share these stories with me and with each other so we can continue to know and remember my mom.
A care relationship is special and requires skill, trust and understanding. This essay will elaborate how the quality of that relationship affects the quality of the care given and the experiences felt in receiving care. These different relationships will depend on the type of care given, who the care is given by and what sort of previous existing relationship there was to begin with. For a good care relationship to work it needs to follow the 5 K101 principles of care practice which are 'support people in maximising their potential','support people in having a voice and being heard','respect people's beliefs and preferences','support people's rights to appropriate services' and 'respect people's privacy and right to confidentiality'.(K101,Unit 4,p.183). If all of these needs are met a far exceptional quality of relationship between the carer and care receiver will be achieved.
She passed away in 2006 when I was a junior in high school. My family and I visited her every weekend at the nursing home. She disliked being at the nursing home away from her family. At the same time, it was the only way for her to be taken care of. She was paralyzed from her left side of the body from a stroke and diabetes. Also, she was a little heavy. Therefore, they were unable to lift her up and do the activities of daily living. Between her sons and daughters they all decided that her being in a nursing home is the best decision for her and everyone else.
Nurses’ ability of providing the interpersonal and comforting touch could be impaired by the contemporarily fast-paced, high-acuity and understaffed hospital-centered setting (Connor & Howett, 2009). Nursing is one of the few roles in contemporary society in which the physical contact and even of the intimate body is accepted (Green, 2013). The frequent touch nurses encounter in patient care, however, is not always the deliberated and intentioned one of enhancing care (Connor & Howett, 2009). A stressful environment hinders nurses from achieving a state of therapists’ inner balance to perform tactile touch at hospitals (Henricson et al., 2006). In the absence of a quiet and an independent environment, the positive outcomes of tactile touch are unlikely to achieve and may even cause nurses’ tiredness (Homayouni et al., 2012).
...r tended to her activities of daily living – feeding her, grooming her. However, her mother had no insight on her condition and how to help her take care of herself. I, personally took her to school and talked to teachers who advised to have her join a school for the disabled, she was falling behind in classes and it was affecting her mentally and emotionally. She was visually impaired and no one in the family knew until she took a vision test catered to her. She is now 22 years old, and it amazes me to see how she has flourished. A young girl who used to be glued to the television, watching cartoons and the likes, she is now on her iPad watching videos on YouTube, face-timing with friends and family. When our grandmother passed away a few years ago, she took it upon herself to console everyone. Had her growth been hindered, she wouldn’t be the person she is now.
She would complain of stomach aches, and began to have trouble completing everyday task. Shortly after experiencing these symptoms, my mother was diagnosed with cervical cancer. This created a fear that I would lose both of my parents within the time span of two years. Being very young, I had no idea how to care for myself, or my ill mother. At this point in my life, I completely hit rock bottom. After my mother’s diagnosis, my household completely changed. I had to assume the role of the parent in order to make sure that my mother was properly taken care of. A journal study the behavior of children with ill parents began to notice the changes in roles in the households of these families as well. “Physical, mental, and emotional deterioration may compromise the ability of ill parents to reach out to their children. Disruptions in routines and role reallocations within the family are particularly disorienting to children given their exquisite reliance on predictability.” I was never very reliant on predictability given my living arrangements as a
It had been a cold, snowy day, just a few days after Thanksgiving. My grandmother became immensely ill and unable to care for herself. We knew she had health problems but her sudden turn for the worst was so unexpected and therefore we weren’t prepared for the decisions that had to be made and the guilt we would feel. Where would grandma live? Would she be taken care of? So many concerns floated around. A solution was finally found and one that was believed to be the best or so we thought.
Caregivers may often experience decreases in immune system functioning, as well as increases in blood pressure (Haley, 2003; Weitzner, Haley, & Chen, 2000). With patients in advanced stages of cancer, patients are more likely to exhibit signs of distress because of the ways in which advanced patients require increased care and support (McMillan, 2005). Overall, caregiving affects the physical health of caregivers because the consistency of providing self care to a family member can exhaust and strain the caregiver (Roberto & Jarrott, 2008; Schulz & Sherwood, 2008). Many predictors of the wellness of a caregiver depend upon the problems with the patients behavior, cognitive deterioration, and any disabilities the patient may have. The amount of time that a caregiver spends providing assistance, and the demands of watching the patient to make sure they are safe can also contribute to the overall wellness of the caregiver (Schulz & Sherwood, 2008). Although many have studied the ways in which caregiving can create stress for the caregiver, there have also been reported positive effects of this role that are worth
According to Honea et al. (2008), cognitive behavioral interventions facilitate the development of a therapeutic relationship between the caregiver and a trained professional, and “teaches self-monitoring, challenges negative thoughts, helps caregivers develop problem-solving abilities by focusing on time management, overload, and emotional reactivity management; and helps the caregiver reengage in pleasant activities and positive experiences” (p. 511). The goals of cognitive behavioral interventions can be best achieved when patients, their families, nursing, and organizations work together to recognize and address the growing issues related to caregiver stress and burden. In order to develop an evidence-based approach to relieving caregiver strain and burden, the PICOT question guiding this proposal is: For oncology patient caregivers, how does an informal caregiver (IC) cognitive behavioral intervention program compared to no formal training or support affect caregiver stress level and self-efficacy within 3 months of
Facing a serious illness is not just about helping a loved one through a difficult and uncertain time, and surviving a life-threatening illness is not about making through any way you can. It's about making it through the best way you can. Subsequently, the importance of spiritual care for the patient and the importance of spiritual care for the caregivers are essential.
As the youngest of five children she was often overlooked. The pride of the family often overrode the opportunity to receive health care, handouts and a decent chance to become something. My mother spent her childhood in a tiny house with her family and many relatives. She was never given the opportunities to excel in learning and life like my generation has. My grandfather was a carpenter and on that living fed many hungry mouths. But despite this already unfortunate lifestyle my mother maintained good grades and was on a path to overcoming her misfortune.
Primary caregivers are given an opportunity to take care of their loved ones; however, this job comes with a lot of stress and its consequences (Tsai, 2003). Primary caregivers take care of those with a chronic illness such as a family member or friend, are given a task that is so immense that it induces a lot of stress. In the previous decades, many research articles have developed studies which focused on stressors that were associated with the task of being the primary caregiver; yet, a theory surrounding this topic has not been developed until the early 2000s. Tsai (2003) developed the Theory of Caregiver Stress based on the Roy Adaptation Model to identify the caregiver’s response, perceptions, and adaptations to the stress and burden that primary caregiver’s experience.
In conclusion, grief is a universal and personal experience. Every child will experience grief differently. In order for patients to receive utmost care, nurses require thorough knowledge and understanding of the theories and stages of grief and loss Through implementing the practical nursing strategies that have been proposed, the nurse can provide the best possible care to a child and their family that are experiencing grief and loss in the acute care setting whilst also completing the four essential tasks of William Worden’s theory that are required for a child to grieve successfully.
Ruth presented aspects of “An education model for explaining hospice services” (Welk, 1991). She discussed the four dimensions of support for the patient and family within hospice care, which are physical, emotional/psychological, social, and spiritual and gave examples of how the various dimensions of support could occur. She explained the purpose of hospice is to allow the patient to live as full as possible and comfortably until the end of life. She explained hospices services takes the “…conflict out of social situations, helps to subside the fear emotionally, attempts to remove as much pain physically and addresses decreasing despair spiritually thus easing the suffering” (Welk, 1991, p. 16) of the patient and
Over the course of the caretaking role, it is important that the caregiver be surrounded by his/her own support system to provide the caregiver with encouragement and optimism (Haley, 2003). A high or low degree of social supports for the caregiver may also play a role in how well one copes with his/her new role, and one's ability to continue to fulfill it. Research has shown a positive correlation between increased levels of social support and caregiver health (Nijboer et al., 1998; Schulz & Sherwood, 2008). An increase in social supports is correlated to people that are happier, live healthier lives, and live longer than those who do not have support from others (Schulz & Sherwood, 2008). It's also important that caregivers be provided with support from healthcare professionals who are knowledgeable about the family member's sickness, and can also aid in making medical decisions. Professionals can help the caregiver cope, as well as decreasing the amount of stress he/she is facing (Haley, 2003). Just as essential is that the family members are able to support one another throughout the sickness. Depending upon the type of sickness, it can be viewed as a loss for families, and grief can often present itself. During this time, it is important that the family system is able to unite