RESUMO
PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To examine family caregivers' experience of mental fatigue, identify strategies they use to manage it, and ascertain the kind of help they would like from healthcare professionals.â©. RESEARCH APPROACH: Descriptive, qualitative study that was part of a larger mixed-methods study.â©. SETTING: Metropolitan comprehensive cancer center in the midwestern United States.â©. PARTICIPANTS: 79 family caregivers of patients with advanced cancer who were participating in phase I clinical trials.â©. METHODOLOGIC APPROACH: Caregivers completed a semistructured, open-ended questionnaire and demographic and health history forms.â©. FINDINGS: Caregivers were able to define mental fatigue and give many examples of it. They reported that mental fatigue did not interfere with patient care, but that it did have a negative effect on their own self-care. They identified strategies to manage mental fatigue. They wanted more information and support from professionals.â©. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of caregivers experienced mental fatigue, which manifested as trouble concentrating, difficulty remembering things, and irritability. The majority worked outside of the home and had health problems of their own.â©. INTERPRETATION: Healthcare professionals need to assess caregivers for mental fatigue and find ways to help them reduce mental fatigue and restore their attention. Nurses are in a prime position to mobilize resources for caregivers to effectively manage burden and reduce mental fatigue.
Assuntos
Cuidadores/psicologia , Família/psicologia , Fadiga Mental/etiologia , Fadiga Mental/psicologia , Neoplasias/enfermagem , Neoplasias/psicologia , Estresse Psicológico/complicações , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Ensaios Clínicos Fase I como Assunto , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Meio-Oeste dos Estados Unidos , Pesquisa Qualitativa , Inquéritos e QuestionáriosRESUMO
This article describes an approach for working with individuals who have dementia, along with their spouses or partners. The 5-week intervention focuses on helping couples communicate, reminisce about the story of their relationship, find photographs and mementoes from their past, and develop a book that incorporates these mementoes. This clinical approach highlights the strengths and the resilience of couples and adds to the limited repertoire of dyadic interventions for dementia care which are currently available. Preliminary findings from 24 couples are presented, including the intervention's feasibility and acceptability.