Chapter 12<BR> Resilience and Family Caregiving

Abstract

Family caregiving for people with dementia and grandparents raising grandchildren both remain critical issues for our increasingly diverse and aging society. Very little research has focused on the role of resilience in either of these caregiving literatures, thereby creating opportunities for researchers, practitioners, and policy makers to drive future agendas including the development, evaluation, and dissemination of caregiver interventions grounded in resilience frameworks. This chapter reviews key issues related to caregiver resilience and makes several recommendations to help move its study and application forward, including the use of mixed-methods and prospective longitudinal designs, the application and evaluation of relevant theoretical frameworks, and the examination of interventions at different levels that target both mental and physical health outcomes with diverse populations.

Identifying socio-environmental factors that facilitate resilience among Canadian palliative family caregivers: A qualitative case study

“…Indeed, many caregivers in the larger study, including the two cases presented herein, demonstrated an innate capacity to "rise above" the challenges of caregiving. Contemporary understanding of resiliency suggest that resilient individuals have the capacity to adapt to adverse conditions and to develop or refine coping strategies to deal with such conditions (Allen et al, 2011;Bluglass, 2007;Coon, 2012;Monroe & Oliviere, 2007). This may suggest the possibility for family caregivers to be targeted for individuallevel interventions by homecare nurses that are designed to enhance caregivers' capacities to be resilient.…”

“…Achieving resilience is highly complex, as this process is simultaneously being influenced by the individual and by the broader socio-environmental context in which they are situated (Luthar et al, 2000). Although such multidimensional conceptions of resilience are being increasingly advocated (Allen et al, 2011;Bluglass, 2007;Luthar et al, 2000;Monroe & Oliviere, 2007), even within the family caregiving literature in palliative care (Coon, 2012;Monroe & Oliviere, 2007), little empirical research has attempted to operationalize resilience in this way. Instead, much research focuses on the psychological characteristics of the individual while examining only one aspect of resilience at a time (Coon, 2012;Diehl et al, 2012).…”

“…Although such multidimensional conceptions of resilience are being increasingly advocated (Allen et al, 2011;Bluglass, 2007;Luthar et al, 2000;Monroe & Oliviere, 2007), even within the family caregiving literature in palliative care (Coon, 2012;Monroe & Oliviere, 2007), little empirical research has attempted to operationalize resilience in this way. Instead, much research focuses on the psychological characteristics of the individual while examining only one aspect of resilience at a time (Coon, 2012;Diehl et al, 2012). Therefore, knowledge remains limited regarding how resilience is achieved in real lived contexts, including by palliative family caregivers in the homecare setting.…”

Aspectos psicológicos da qualidade de vida de cuidadores de idosos: uma revisão integrativa

“…Muitas vezes, há sobreposição de papéis, ou seja, o cuidador já está sobrecarregado com outros estressores, como problemas laborais, cuidado de crianças, doença pessoal, entre outros. [45][46][47] Isto faz com que a percepção de sobrecarga relacionada ao cuidado seja ainda maior por parte do cuidador.…”

Exploring Factors Associated With Family Caregivers’ Preparedness to Care for an Older Family Member Together With Home Care Nurses: An Analysis in a Swiss Urban Area

“… 11 - 14 Therefore, nurses need accurate knowledge of the family system to support family caregivers within the care triad. 15 , 16 …”