My clinical practice setting is in various acute care settings at a large teaching hospital in Toronto, where I am part of a nursing resource team. Most of my clinical experience is with oncology patient populations. This week, I was able to interview a family that I have cared for a couple of days as we have created a family-nurse therapeutic relationship, during that time I felt that they would be willing to proceed with the discussion of their illness experience. The patient was a sixty-five year old female woman; her admitting diagnosis is metastasised lung cancer with a poor prognosis, along with dementia as of a month ago. She is widowed for five years, her deceased husband passed away from congestive heart failure. The family’s country …show more content…
As dementia is a neurodegenerative disease, individuals diagnosed with dementia face frustration and difficulty functioning in their day to day lives. Family caregivers face similar frustration in assisting their loved one in everyday tasks. Informal care giving is a demanding responsibility and experience on family members. Psychological demands, physical demands, time demands, emotional demands are necessary to meet the needs of their loved one with dementia, therefore experiencing burn out and related emotions is quite common. Furthermore, family caregivers who may experience depressive symptoms can be less capable in managing the behavioural symptoms of dementia (Takai, Takahashi, Iwamitsu, Oishi, & Miyaoka 2011). Similarly, Takai et al. (2011) found that when informal caregivers report a decrease in quality of life, it is correlated to higher incidence of depression and burnout. With that being said, families may feel frequently overwhelmed in managing the symptoms of dementia. The lack of knowledge, support, and resources can further exacerbate these feelings with the intent to provide the best care possible. According to Almberg, Grafstrom, & Winblad (1997) family caregivers of individuals with dementia find it difficult to manage symptoms without support and knowledge (as cited in Takai, et al.,