Survivor Education
Caregiving
As a consequence of advances in the detection and treatment of cancer, increasing demands are being placed on familial caregivers of cancer patients. Some caregivers perceive the care as negative, as a burden, while others consider it both a challenge, and derive deep meaning from the experience.
Research informs us that the more roles a caregiver carries out, the more likely the caregiver is to experience stress. Even though feelings of extreme stress are normal, many caregivers feel too guilty to express their emotions. The approach most mental health professionals profess for caregivers is to share feelings with friends, family or to other cancer caregivers.
Caregivers may experience:
Stress
Exhaustion
Role entrapment
Loss of intimacy with the cancer patient
Anger
Depression
Financial pressure
Tips for caregivers:
Make time for yourself (self-care)
Embrace positive aspects of caregiving (find meaning)
Identify your strengths as a caregiver (bolster your self-esteem)
Reach out to others (social support)
Don’t ignore your physical health (watch out for fatigue)
Ask for professional help if your distress levels escalate (learn coping skills)
Caregiver Resources
Caregiver.Com
800-829-2734
Website: http://www.caregiver.com
e-mail: info@caregiver.com
Family Caregiver Alliance (FCA)
800-445-8106
Website: http://www.caregiver.org
National Family Caregivers Association (NFCA)
800-896-3650
Website: http://www.thefamilycaregiver.org
http://www.thefamilycaregiver.org/caregiving_resources/
New Health Partnerships
Web site: www.newhealthpartnerships.org
Caregivinghelp.org
773-381-6008
Website: www.CAREgivinghelp.org
Email: CAREgivinghelp@cje.net
CareConnection.com
Website: http://www.careconnection.com
AARP
800-424-3410
Web site: http://www.aarp.org
NCI
Web site: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/when-someone-you-love-is-treated
U.S. Administration on Aging
202-619-0724
Web site: http://www.aoa.gov
 Spouse
to Spouse What It's
Like When Your Partner
Has Cancer
Husbands and wives
of people with cancer
discuss their deepest
emotions, sharing their
fears and hopes as
both partner and caregiver.
The spouses, from varied
backgrounds and at
different stages in
their lives, speak
to how the illness
tests the strength
and endurance of their
marriage. This 18 minute
DVD will help spouses
of people with cancer
articulate difficult
feelings and encourage
greater communication
between partners.
Watch a Preview
$40.00
Journal 2007
Ann Behav Med 2007 Feb;33(1):90-8 17291174
The effect of spirituality and gender on the quality of life of spousal caregivers of cancer survivors.
Colgrove Leighanna Allen LA FAU - Kim Youngmee Y
FAU - Thompson Nancy N AU - Colgrove L AU - Kim Y AU - Thompson N
Eastern Virginia Medical School.
BACKGROUND: Research has indicated spirituality buffers the adverse effect of stress, but few studies have examined the role of spirituality in the context of providing cancer care. PURPOSE: This study examines the moderating effects of spirituality on the relation between caregiving stress and spousal caregivers' mental and physical health. In addition, gender differences in the target moderating effects are explored.
METHODS: A caregiver survey was mailed to familial caregivers nominated by their respective cancer survivors including measures of spirituality (Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Spirituality), caregiving stress (Pearlin Stress Scale), and mental and physical health (MOS Short Form-36). Four hundred and three spousal caregivers provided valid information on these measures.
RESULTS: Hierarchical regression analyses supported the hypothesized moderating effects of spirituality but in different patterns. Caregiving stress was associated with poorer mental functioning, which was less prominent among caregivers with a high level of spirituality (stress-buffering effect). Caregiving stress was also associated with poorer physical functioning but was only significant among caregivers with a high level of spirituality (stress-aggravating effect). The same stress-buffering or aggravating effects were found for both sexes.
CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest maintaining faith and finding meaning in cancer caregiving buffer the adverse effect of caregiving stress on mental health. Highly spiritual caregivers should also be encouraged to pay more attention to their physical health while providing cancer care.
Journal 2006
Psychooncology 2006 Sep;15(9):795-804
Psychological adjustment of cancer caregivers with multiple roles
Kim Youngmee Y - Baker Frank F - Spillers Rachel L RL - Wellisch David K DK - Kim Y AU - Baker - Spillers R AU - Wellisch D Behavioral Research Center, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA 30329-4521, USA.
Guided by the role strain and the role enhancement theories, this study examined the effect of caregivers' multiple roles, such as being employed and taking care of minors in their household, on their psychological adjustment. Of the caregivers who completed the American Cancer Society's Quality of Life Survey for Caregivers, 457 caregivers who were middle-aged (18-64) and provided complete data for the study variables were included in the analyses. The indicators of the outcome variables, namely, the levels of the caregivers' psychological adjustment, were cancer caregiving stress, management of meaning out of providing care, and negative and positive affect. Multivariate general linear modeling analyses revealed that employed caregivers who were also taking care of children reported higher levels of caregiving stress and negative affect. In contrast, employed caregivers who were not taking care of children reported greater levels of managing meaning of caregiving experience.
The findings provide partial support for the role strain theory, that the more social roles a caregiver carries out, the more likely the caregiver is to experience stress and negative affect. The findings also suggest that when providing care for cancer survivors, caregivers may benefit from being employed. These findings have significant implications for developing targeted programs to reduce the psychological distress of cancer caregivers with multiple roles and to assist them in recognizing their caregiving experience as meaningful.
Cancer Nurs 2006 Mar;29(2):120-31
A population-based study of the quality of life of cancer survivors and their family caregivers
Mellon Suzanne S - Northouse Laurel L LL - Weiss Linda K LK AU - Mellon S
AU - Northouse L AU - Weiss L College of Health Professions, University of Detroit Mercy, Detroit, MI 48221-3038, USA.
Although survival rates for all cancers continue to increase, few studies have examined the quality of life of both cancer survivors and family caregivers during the survivorship period after treatment has ended. Information is lacking on the stressors, resources, meaning, and quality of life reported by survivors and family caregivers and the interrelationship between survivors' and family caregivers' quality of life. A stratified, random sample of 123 cancer survivors and 123 family caregivers (N = 246) were interviewed in an exploratory, cross-sectional design 1-6 years after cancer treatment had ended. Approximately half (N = 62) of the dyads were white and half (N = 61) were African American. Results indicated that cancer survivors reported significantly higher quality of life, less fear of cancer recurrence, and more support than their family caregivers. The strongest predictors for cancer survivors' quality of life were family stressors, social support, meaning of the illness, and employment status, whereas the strongest predictors for family caregivers' quality of life were fear of recurrence and social support. Both the survivor's and family caregiver's quality of life independently contributed to the other's quality of life. Findings from this study suggest the importance of including both survivors and family caregivers in programs of care.
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