Psychiatric home care of elderly persons with depression: unmet caregiver needs

The purpose of this study was to explore what nursing interventions are currently being provided to family caregivers of elderly persons with depression as a part of standard home health care; and identify unmet needs of these family caregivers. Unmet caregiver needs were examined from both the family caregiver and staff nurse perspective, using caregiver structured interviews and staff focus groups. Ten caregivers participated in structured interviews and nine staff nurses participated in three focus groups. Caregivers reported unmet needs concerning support and respite, dealing with their own feelings, learning more about care-related tasks and role changes, and stress management. Similarly, nurses speculated that nursing interventions should focus on increased counseling, family and community support, assisting caregivers with their learning needs and care-related responsibilities. These findings contribute toward a better understanding of interventions currently provided to caregivers of depressed elderly persons, as a part of standard psychiatric home care; identify unmet caregiver needs; and suggest areas for future psychiatric research in home care settings.