A Desire to Be Seen. Family Caregivers' Experiences of Their Caring Essay

A Desire to Be Seen. Family Caregivers' Experiences of Their Caring Role in Palliative Home Care - Essay Example Mr. James does not wish to be admitted in a hospital or a nursing home, which is why Mrs. James had agreed to look after him at their home. This condition had been discussed with the General Practitioner, the district nursing team and the palliative care team, who agreed to Mr. James' conditions and chose to support his wife. She took on the role as Mr. James' informal care giver voluntarily as she values the time that she has left with her husband. However, there were instances when Mr. James was feeling severely ill and his wife was uncertain as to what needs to be done to attend to her husband. She immediately contacted the GP, the district nursing team, and the palliative care team for support. In spite of the fact that Mrs. James cherished the moments that she was able to care for her husband, there were times that she felt powerless and helpless. Her husband's condition caused her emotional and psychological stress. After several days of caring for her husband, she started to q uestion whether she made the correct decision. The team opted to advise Mrs. James to undergo a two day intensive palliative care course at the Dorothy House as a means for her to overcome her distress. She felt that she must be able to have a strong grip and command of her emotions so as not to show any signs of insecurity, fear and anger. Seeing his wife strong made a big difference on Mr. James' passing. He died a peaceful death at his home. After Mr. James' death, the palliative care team went to Mrs. James to reassure her and offer her support. The main issues of the care plan constitute of the following: pressure area care; pain; challenges in looking after home; comfort; wife's/family's stress; promise to keep, access or the availability of palliative care team as and when needed; psychological support; and management of medication. The article that the researcher has chosen is entitled "A Desire to Be Seen - Family Caregivers’ Experiences of Their Caring Role in Palli ative Home Care" by Linderholm and Friedrichsen (2010). Main Body (Part 1) The article "A Desire to Be Seen: Family Caregivers’ Experiences of Their Caring Role in Palliative Home Care" was presented clearly. The context of the study can be understood easily as the choice of words was succinct and direct to the point. The researchers began to elaborate on the definition of palliative care and the role it serves in primary health care. The researchers presented the fact that patients diagnosed with life threatening conditions who prefer to stay at home although being attended by health care professionals, require an informal caregiver in order for palliative care to be successful. The focus of the study is important because it presents the necessary care that must be provisioned to terminally ill patients in which most people are not aware of (Gerrish and Lacey, 2006). The aim of the study was to explore the experiences of an informal care giver of a dying relative who is admi tted in a primary healthcare facility. The study intended to delve into the aspects of the caring role and support rendered during and after the patient's illness. The research aim was specific and well defined. Methodology The study employed a qualitative research design that made use of a hermeneutic approach. It is appropriate that the researchers have chosen a qualitative approach because the objective of the study is to explore the experiences of the informal care giver during the patient's illness and after they died. In that regard, the data gathered were interviews concerning the first hand account narration of the informal carers (Nieswiadomy, 2008). It is applicable in answering the aim of the study