The assessment experience of spousal dementia care-givers

‘It's made me realise that I am a person also’

Datos Bibliográficos

ID11201670
AutoresNancy Guberman (Université du Québec à Montréal, autor de correspondencia), Jeffrey Keefe (0000-0003-3073-8535, Mount Saint Vincent University), Janice Keefe, Pamela Fancey (Mount Saint Vincent University)
Año2019
Volumen39
Número11
Páginas2443-2464
Fecha de publicación2019-11-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaAgeing and Society (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0144-686X • E-ISSN: 1469-1779
EditorialCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s0144686x18000557
OpenAlexW2841398083
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas1
Referencias citadas48

This article is based on a study that used a validated care-giver assessment instrument known as ‘The C.A.R.E. (Caregivers’ Aspirations, Realities, and Expectations) Tool’ to understand its usefulness in working with older adults caring for a spouse with cognitive impairment. It draws on data collected as part of a larger, quasi-experimental pre- and post-test study examining the impact of a care-giver assessment on older spousal care-givers of a partner with cognitive impairment. One hundred community-living individuals (average age of 74) participated in the study. Participants met with a third-year nursing student who administered The C.A.R.E. Tool. Within three to seven days following this, a research team member conducted a semi-structured interview by telephone. This interview provided participants with the opportunity to comment on their experience and the usefulness of The C.A.R.E. Tool. Transcriptions of the interviews were analysed using a thematic analysis. Results indicate that the assessment experience was evaluated positively by most participants. Two broad themes emerged: assessment encourages care-givers to take stock of their situation, and it provides a relationship with a caring professional. In particular, the assessment experience gave these care-givers to have the opportunity to reflect, while expressing emotions and developing awareness, and provided them with an appreciated relationship with a caring professional who helped to validate and normalise their situation. For care-givers, the results suggest that assessment may serve as a catalyst for taking action in their care-giving situation or turning to services for help. For practitioners, assessment may increase awareness of the experience of spousal care-givers, potentially leading to interventions to support them. This study found that the attitudes and knowledge of practitioners play a role in care-givers’ experience of the assessment as positive. However, the goal of assessment must be clarified, as outcomes of other tools will differ depending on the aims

Cognition · Dementia · Disease · Psychiatry · Qualitative research · Spouse · Thematic analysis · Dementia and Cognitive Impairment Research · Family Caregiving in Mental Illness · Family Support in Illness · Medicine · Nursing · Psychology