How well do family caregivers cope after caring for a relative with advanced disease and how can health professionals enhance their support?

Abstract

Background: Support for families during a person's advanced disease and also into the bereavement period is a major component of palliative care. However, because of the gaps in bereavement research in this area, there is a lack of evidence-based direction for health professionals. Purpose: This study sought to explore family caregiver perceptions of their relative's death and assess how well they were coping. Caregivers were also asked to identify which health professional strategies helped them prepare for and respond to their relative's death. Methods: Two months after their relative's death primary family caregivers (n = 45) of patients with advanced cancer completed a structured intervi..