EXPERIENCES OF STROKE PATIENT CARERS

Experiences Of Stroke Patient Carers

Experiences of Stroke Patient Carers

Introduction

Much of the research on caregiver experience studies caregivers of people with dementia, particularly those with Alzheimer's disease. For these caregivers, in addition to providing assistance with daily needs and activities, the caregiver also must manage the care receiver's behavioral symptoms, such as wandering, aggression, anxiety, and depression (Angeleri, 2003, 47). Significant attention has been paid to caregivers of people who have had a stroke. Depending on the disease or condition, care receivers may need extended periods of time for their care.

Method

For this paper, a qualitative research method was used. The data were collected through interviews. The interviews were conducted from nurses employed at a cardiac ward of local hospital. All the nurses were friendly enough to take time out for the interview. The questions were based on the experiences of nursing staff while treating victims of cardiac arrest.

Findings

Psychosocial Factors and Stroke Course

While the evidence in favor of an etiologic role for psychosocial factors and stroke is less than clear, a great deal of evidence suggests that a wide range of psychosocial and behavioral factors influence the recovery trajectories of stroke survivors (Chappell, 2006, 77). The main variables that have been studied include social support (especially emotional support), social network ties, and family function broadly defined (Dennis, 2007, 10).

The bulk of this evidence suggests that social support from family and friends plays an important role in boosting functional recovery and social participation after stroke. Emotional support appears to be unconditionally positive, whereas instrumental support can be a double-edged sword (Thompson, 2008, 23). High levels of instrumental support are associated with worse outcome in some studies, due perhaps to failure to control adequately for health status or stroke severity, or because high instrumental support means that caregivers are ...