Journal of Gerontological Nursing
Vol. 36 No. 8 August 2010
By Chaim J. Cohen, PhD, MSW; Gail Auslander, PhD, MPH; Yifat Chen, PhD
ABSTRACT
The article examines family caregiving to hospitalized older adults at the end of life (EOL). The stress process model was used to compare family caregiving in an EOL patient population (n = 50) with family caregiving in an acutely ill elderly population (n = 50) in a single Israeli hospital. A convenience sample of family caregivers was interviewed in the hospital using a structured questionnaire. Differences between the two groups were examined using contingency tables, t tests, and discriminant multivariate analysis. Findings show that family caregivers of EOL patients carry out fewer caregiving tasks and report a greater sense of overload and captivity. On the other hand, they attend to the patient for more days, mobilize more social network support, and report a comparable sense of reward and growth. These findings are discussed in the context of active versus passive caregiving and the significance of nursing support for family caregivers of EOL patients.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Dr. Auslander is Dean and Zena Harman Professor of Social Work, Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Dr. Cohen is Social Worker, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem, and Dr. Chen is Instructor, School of Social Work, Ariel University Center of Samaria, Israel and Social Work Department, Tel Aviv Medical Center, Tel Aviv, Israel.
The authors disclose that they have no significant financial interests in any product or class of products discussed directly or indirectly in this activity. This study was funded by the Israel Science Foundation, grant 891-2003.
Address correspondence to Gail Auslander, PhD, MPH, Dean and Zena Harman Professor of Social Work, Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and Social Welfare, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Mt. Scopus, Jerusalem, Israel 91905; e-mail: msgail@mscc.huji.ac.il.
doi:10.3928/00989134-20100330-03
