OUR RESEARCH
What is the purpose of our research?
We are seeking to establish the needs of caregivers who look after someone with cancer. This will be achieved by completion of a survey that asks questions related to your experiences of being a caregiver. By doing this we hope to be able to develop a needs assessment tool that health care professionals (doctors and nurses) can use with caregivers when patients are initially diagnosed, and subsequently in order to discover changing needs and to meet these needs.
Why conduct research on caregivers?
Caring for a loved one with a chronic or serious illness can be a very fulfilling and positive experience, but it can be stressful too. Providing care can place unanticipated demands and stress on the person providing care and caregivers can find that their own quality of life is compromised.
It is important that research on caregivers is carried out so that we can identify the specific needs of caregivers and ensure that appropriate ways of identifying and meeting these needs are designed.
Here are some areas of the caregiver’s life that may be affected:
- Your work may be affected, you may have to take time off work, juggling shifts or even resign from work in order to provide care
- Your social life may be affected, you have less time to spend with friends, you see your friends less, and are unable to carry on with your usual hobbies or pursuits
- You may already be providing care for other family members or friends
- You may experience feelings of unhappiness and depression
All these effects can have implications for the care you are able to provide so it is important that these issues are addressed.