Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

PURPOSE: This systematic review aimed to reconceptualize experiences from a variety of papers to provide direction for research, policy and practice. METHOD: Meta-ethnography was used to inform the review, and 21 studies were included. FINDINGS: The analysis identified a core theme of "engaging in care: struggling through", as carers, who wanted to be involved in caring, learnt to live with the intense and stressful impact of caring and changes to their life. The core theme is represented through three themes (1) Helping another to live, (2) Adapting ways of living and (3) Negotiating the unknown. CONCLUSIONS: The discussion identified a focus on carers of people suffering from a hip fracture, the willingness of informal carers to engage in caring and the intense experience of adapting to changes in relationships and dependency alongside a steep experiential learning curve. Tensions exist in negotiations with complex health care systems as carers do not feel their expertise is valued and struggle to find and understand information. Implications for Rehabilitation Including relatives/carers in the umbrella of care within a family-centred approach. Involving relatives/carers within shared decision-making about care requirements and rehabilitation goals. Utilizing forms of experiential learning to help the development of relatives/carers skills in relation to their role as carer. Providing opportunities for carers to explore ways of sustaining their own health through self-compassion.

Original publication

DOI

10.1080/09638288.2016.1262467

Type

Journal article

Journal

Disabil rehabil

Publication Date

04/2018

Volume

40

Pages

740 - 750

Keywords

Review, ageing, caregiver stress, caregiver-informal, decision-making, hip fracture, Adaptation, Psychological, Caregivers, Hip Fractures, Humans, Social Support, Stress, Psychological