Associations between support needs and preparedness among family caregivers in palliative home care.

BACKGROUND

Family caregivers take on substantial caregiving responsibilities and report unmet support needs of their own when caring for a person with life-threatening illness.

AIM: To explore self-rated support needs and their association with preparedness for caregiving among family caregivers in specialised palliative home care.

METHODS

Family caregivers of patients with life-threatening illness were recruited. Family caregivers completed questionnaires at baseline and 4 weeks later, including the Preparedness for Caregiving Scale and the Carer Support Needs Assessment Tool. Descriptive statistics and linear regression analyses were performed.

RESULTS

Family caregivers' (n=153) support needs varied over time across several domains. Unmet needs were associated with lower baseline preparedness for caregiving, but a greater improvement in preparedness over time. When needs were met, family caregivers showed a significant improvement in their sense of preparedness.

CONCLUSIONS

Support needs and preparedness for caregiving are closely related. Addressing support needs is important to enhance preparedness.