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Published on: December 18, 2013
Respite--a coping strategy for family caregivers
1Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta.
Western Journal of Nursing Research
|August 22, 2001
Summary
Caregiver respite offers a crucial break from caregiving demands, acting as an emotion-focused coping strategy. Recognizing the need for respite, granting permission, and having social support are key to this experience for dementia caregivers.
Area of Science:
- Gerontology
- Psychology
- Sociology
Background:
- Caregiving for individuals with dementia often leads to negative consequences.
- Caregiver respite is a recognized intervention to mitigate these adverse effects.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the lived experience of respite among family caregivers of persons with dementia.
- To understand respite as a coping process within the context of caregiving.
Main Methods:
- Interpretivist research orientation.
- Qualitative study involving 10 family caregivers of persons with dementia.
- Analysis informed by coping theoretical perspectives.
Main Results:
- The respite experience was conceptualized as a process of "getting out" of the caregiver role.
- Three phases were identified: recognizing the need, granting permission, and utilizing social support.
- Respite was linked to emotion-focused coping, specifically avoidance strategies.
Conclusions:
- Acknowledging the need for respite is critical for caregivers.
- The findings have implications for clinical practice and future research on caregiver support.
- Facilitating respite requires addressing caregivers' permission and social support systems.
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