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Informal cancer caregivers' perceptions on dyadic exercise with their care recipients
Thomas Christensen1, Colleen Cuthbert2, Melanie R Keats3
1First author, Research Coordinator and Clinical Exercise Physiologist, Physical Activity and Cancer Lab, Dalhousie University and Nova Scotia Health, Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada, thomas.christensen@nshealth.ca.
Purpose:
To explore the needs, preferences, and opinions of informal cancer caregivers regarding exercise programs.
Methods:
Guided by an interpretative description approach, semi-structured interviews with eight informal cancer caregivers were conducted. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using an iterative approach.
Results:
A throughline of missed opportunities to support informal cancer caregiver health with dyadic exercise programs under-pinned three themes in the data: (1) No Time for Exercise, (2) Lack of Oncology Care Team Support, and (3) Do It for Them. Each theme was characterized by opposing barriers and opportunities to participating in dyadic exercise programs.
Conclusions:
Informal cancer caregivers appear ready and willing to participate in dyadic exercise programs with their care recipient, yet opportunities and supports to do so are limited. Oncology nurses may play an important role in supporting their patients to be physically active through referrals to exercise programs led by qualified exercise professionals.
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