“I always find myself very tired and exhausted”: The physical impact of caring; a descriptive phenomenological study of the experiences of prostate cancer caregivers in Cape Coast, Ghana

Abstract

Introduction Prostate cancer is a significant public health burden and a significant cause of morbidity and mortality among men worldwide. This study, therefore, explored how caring affects the physical health of family caregivers of prostate cancer patients. Method The study adopted a descriptive phenomenological method. Twelve participants were recruited using the purposive sampling technique. A semi-structured face to face, in-depth interviews were conducted with family caregivers of patients living with prostate cancer. The interviews were transcribed verbatim, and the data were analysed using Colaizzi’s phenomenological approach. Findings The family caregiver’s experience with the physical impact associated with caregiving uncovered two significant themes with six sub-themes. “Rest and Sleep” emerged as the first central theme, with sleeplessness, fatigue, pain, and worsening pre-existing conditions as the sub-themes. The second main theme was ‘Nutrition’ with altered eating patterns and weight loss emerging as sub-themes. Conclusion The study suggests that family caregivers of patients treated for prostate cancer may struggle with physical consequences associated with the caregiving role, which impacts their physical health. It is of great importance, especially for nurses, to come up with measures to minimise these adverse physical effects on the family caregivers through formal education programmes and training on how to care for these patients at home.

Experiences and coping strategies of women caring for their husbands with cancer at the Cancer Diseases Hospital in Lusaka, Zambia: a descriptive phenomenological approach

“…The wives of men in this study with genitourinary and GIT cancers reported having reduced their sexual desire. These findings depart from a findings of the phenomenological study conducted in Ghana by Owoo et al [ 31 ] about spouses of prostate cancer patients who did not report about reduced sexual desires. LeSeure and Chongkham-Ang [ 14 ] agree that the findings of their systematic review indicated that caregivers adapted to the fact that the patients with cancer were not able to adequately perform sexual functions.…”

Difficulties experienced by individuals who care for palliative patients – a qualitative study informed by Jean Watson’s theory of human caring

“…Additionally, participants also reported difficulties related to weakness, fatigue, rib injury, swelling in the feet, and herniated discs. It was found in related research that carers deal with physical difficulties and pains [14,[24][25][26]. It was also determined in previous research that caregivers frequently experience fatigue [26,27].…”

“…It was found in related research that carers deal with physical difficulties and pains [14,[24][25][26]. It was also determined in previous research that caregivers frequently experience fatigue [26,27]. Another difficulty experienced by caregivers is sleep disturbance.…”

“…The participants stated that their patients also needed them at night. According to research, carers have trouble sleeping [14,28], and some even report having restless nights and being forced to use sedatives to help them fall asleep [26,29,30]. Furthermore, caregivers expressed experiencing difficulties related to their lifestyles during the caregiving process, such as neglecting their own checkups, giving up on self-care, impairment of quality of life, constantly needing someone else's assistance, and the patient's gender.…”

Health and economic impact of caregiving on informal caregivers of people with chronic diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review

“…Basic activities of daily living (9,11,21,25,35,40,41,48,54,64,66,68) Activities done by caregivers (20 studies) Instrumental activities of daily living (9,11,21,25,35,36,(40)(41)(42)(46)(47)(48)53,54,59,(62)(63)(64)66,68) Relationship between the caregiver and the patient (21,48) Motivation to become an ICG Level of responsibility the caregiver has over the patient (11,25,45,48,64) Positive impact of caregiving on ICGs (41,59) Economic impact of caregiving 1. Cost of caregiving (9,25,36,40,48,…”