Support for Caregivers Necessary
Caregiver Depression Rates Decrease When Doctors Address Their Needs
New study finds that interventions supporting family caregivers, especially of those with illnesses such as cancer and Alzheimer's disease, increase caregiver well being.
While the patients traditionally receive support from doctors, nurses, and even other patients, caregivers of individuals with cancer or Alzheimer’s disease have typically been left on their own to deal with both their new family role and what is happening to their loved one. A new study from researchers at the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center found that addressing the emotional needs of caregivers is an important aspect of care for cancer patients, and one that bears additional research.
Study Has Broader Impact
While the scale of the study was relatively small, it looked at looked at 235 men with prostate cancer and their spouses over the course of a year-long treatment. The implications of the results are fare-reaching as the number of Americans who act as caregivers continues to rise, and family caregivers are looking for support. According to a 2003 policy brief about caregiver depression by the Family Caregiver Alliance, caregivers are more likely to be affected by depression than their non-caregiving peers, and high rates of stress among caregivers puts individuals at risk for physical health problems as well.
“We know that spouses often don’t have the kind of information they need to deal with the cancer and the very serious side effects that can accompany the illness and treatments,” says lead study author Laurel Northouse, Ph.D., R.N., in the study’s press release. “It’s very stressful to be a caregiver and not feel prepared for that important role. And the more caregivers feel distressed, the more difficult it is to be a good provider to the patient.”
Study Results
The study provided a targeted intervention aimed at prostate cancer patients and their caregiver spouses to evaluate the impact of a special family-based intervention as compared to standard clinical care. While patients in the intervention group reported some improvements, the spouses showed a better physical quality of life eight months and a year later compared to spouses who did not complete the intervention, having less uncertainty, a better attitude toward caregiving and less hopelessness than spouses who did not complete the intervention.
The intervention, known as FOCUS, included three 90-minute home visits by nurses and two 30-minute phone sessions over the course of four months. FOCUS addresses five areas: family involvement, optimistic attitude, coping effectiveness, uncertainty reduction and symptom management. Interventions were designed to encourage communication between the couple, reduce stress and improve coping skills.
What Next
According to 2006 statistics from the Family Caregivers Alliance, the number of caregivers in the United States was more than 28.8 million individuals. The timing of the study’s release in November, which is National Family Caregiver Month, is indicative of how interventions designed to support caregivers simultaneous to the individual receiving care can raise the standard of well being, and lower rates of depression, for the entire family.
