["Relief for family caregivers" - conceptual revision]

[Toward a safe home: Experiencing the transition to an outpatient setting with home mechanical ventilation. A thematic analysis]

Toward a safe home: Experiencing the transition to an outpatient setting with home mechanical ventilation. A thematic analysis Abstract. Background: With the progress in medical options, the need for home mechanical ventilation increases. The transition from long-term ventilation in an institution to home mechanical ventilation in an outpatient setting is a difficult phase in terms of setting up the network of care, coordination of care for those with the ventilatory insufficiency and the financing. Aim: The study describes how patients with ventilatory insufficiency and family caregivers experience the transition from an institution to an ambulatory setting with invasive or non-invasive home mechanical ventilation. Methods: A qualitative research design with a social-constructivist approach was adopted using thematic analysis according to Braun and Clarke. We included seven German-speaking patients (≥ 18 years old) with ventilatory insufficiency and home mechanical ventilation (> 6 h/day) from the German part of Switzerland, with discharge from an institution to home, and five family caregivers who care for patients with the described criteria. Results: The institution was seen as a safe place. Affected persons and their family caregivers had to create a safe environment at home. Three themes were formed inductively: To gradually build trust with each other, to become experts as family caregivers, to align their own network with the new care needs.Conclusions: The transition home succeeds in the interplay of gaining trust, building expertise, and creating sustainable networks. Professionals can use this knowledge to provide targeted support to patients with home mechanical ventilation and their family caregivers.

[Distance caregiving? : A qualitative interview study with distance caregivers]

BACKGROUND

Family caregivers are important players in both inpatient and domestic healthcare. As a result of increasing mobility many also perform care over geographical distances.

OBJECTIVE

The article highlights the opportunities and challenges of distance caregiving from a distance caregivers' perspective. Data were collected as part of the binational research and development project on distance caregiving, which investigated various dimensions of distance caregiving with an interdisciplinary team from Germany (Protestant University Ludwigsburg) and Switzerland (Careum University of Applied Sciences Zurich). To date empirical results exist mainly for the Anglo-American region. This study provides hitherto lacking empirical findings for Germany and Switzerland.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The study was based on 49 guideline-based, partially narrative interviews (Germany: N = 35; Switzerland: N = 14) with distance caregivers, who at the time of data collection were caring for a person at least 60 years old. The software-supported data analysis (MAXQDA 10) was carried out using deductive and inductive structuring content analysis according to Mayring.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

Distance caregivers provide substantial and diverse care and support tasks. A central challenge is the lack of up to date and reliable information regarding the care situation. This may lead to emotional strain; however, distance also results in relief for caregivers. A functioning network including well-defined agreements and transparent communication is crucial.

[Relatives or 'Zugehörige'? - An attempt to explore the meaning of terms]

Relatives or 'Zugehörige'? - An attempt to explore the meaning of terms Abstract.

BACKGROUND

Societal change has an impact on social coexistence and it is associated with pluralisation of family patterns, altered kinship relations and a greater significance of friendship relations. This is also reflected in familial situations with occurring care needs and the professional carers' perception of these developments has found its linguistic equivalent in terms like 'relatives' or 'Zugehörige'. These and further terms used in nursing communication will be explored in this article.

AIM

The objective of this article is to determine the meanings of terms used in German-speaking nursing literature for close persons of care receivers.

METHODS

For this purpose an explicating content analysis was conducted and etymological, juridical and social-scientific definitions were compared to the apprehension of professional care givers.

RESULTS

The findings show a wide range of terminology combined with a varying comprehension of these terms challenging their appropriateness for professional nursing communication.

CONCLUSIONS

Based on these findings a definition of the concept 'relatives' is brought up for discussion as an attempt to contribute to a more coherent intraprofessional comprehension.