Thesis (MPH.--Faculty of Health Sciences)-University of Pretoria, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available online.

The increasing elderly population is creating a greater need for care providers. Research indicates that while caregiving can be rewarding, it can also generate stress which, in turn, impacts individual well-being. Social support, however, may foster the well-being of persons who are experiencing stressful events. The purpose of this study was to examine the contribution of perceived social support from close family (siblings, spouse, and children) and background characteristics to well-being for a sample of women caring for mothers who were not cognitively impaired. The sample for this study (N=65) was drawn from a larger five year western Oregon study of women caregivers (Walker, 1986), and included only those women who: participated during the third year of the larger study; were married; and had at least one child and one sibling. Data were collected via face-to-face interviews. Pearson correlations and multiple regressions were used to assess the contribution of family support and background characteristics to well-being. Well-being, as measured by the CES-D scale, was the dependent variable in all regressions. The independent variables included the caregiver's self-reported health, and her perceptions of support (measured by supportiveness, positivity of contact, and conflict) from siblings, spouse, and children. Overall, results from this study indicated that women caregivers' perceptions of relationships with close family did impact their well-being. While measures designed to tap supportiveness and positivity of contact were not significantly related to well-being, conflict was. Specifically, conflict with a spouse was associated with lower well-being. Second to conflict with a spouse, respondent's health was the strongest predictor of wellbeing: poor health was significantly associated with lower well-being. In general, recommendations and implications focused on the need for: (a) repeating this type of research among other caregiver populations; (b) developing multidimensional measures of family support; (c) services that provide individuals with positive ways to deal with lifetensions that foster interpersonal conflict; and (d) services that target caregivers who are in poor health. / Graduation date: 1992

Thesis (MScPhysio (Physiotherapy))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / Stroke is a difficult condition to manage because of the complex nature of its effects. Caregivers are therefore, crucial in providing ongoing care for the stroke patient at home. Caregivers experience considerable strain during caregiving, as their needs are often overlooked because therapeutic management tends to focus mainly on the stroke patient. In third world countries like South Africa, there are currently no research studies found describing an optimum support intervention which addresses the caregivers' needs and reduces their strain levels. Objective To determine the effectiveness of a caregiver support intervention programme (CSIP) that was developed to address the expressed needs identified by the primary caregiver of the stroke patient in the Bishop Lavis community. Method A prospective and descriptive qualitative study design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the CSIP. A total of 29 caregivers participated in three CSIPs, which were implemented over five sessions each. The Barthel Index was used to measure the functional level of each stroke patient. The needs of stroke caregivers were determined by 15 semi-structured interviews, until data saturation was reached. The Caregiver Strain Index was completed before and after implementation of the CSIP, in order to measure whether the intervention programme had been effective in reducing the caregivers' level of strain. Written or verbal feedback forms was also completed by the caregivers after each of the five intervention sessions. Results were analysed using repeated measures ANOVA and descriptive qualitative analysis. Results The qualitative results of this study suggest that the CSIP was effective in addressing mainly the physical needs, as well as the emotional, educational and socio-economic needs of the primary caregivers. The CSIP was also effective in reducing caregiver strain in 61.5% of the sample (N=13). However, an additional finding of this study was the personal and logistical barriers identified which limited the caregivers' attendance of the sessions. Conclusion The CSIP was effective in addressing the physical, emotional, socio-economic and educational needs of the primary caregiver. In addition, the results also verified that the CSIP was effective in reducing caregiver strain in the majority of the caregivers, despite a small sample size. The barriers identified which affected the caregivers' attendance, need to be taken into consideration when planning future intervention programmes for caregivers in poor socioeconomic communities. Due to the low attendance rate by the caregivers, a larger sample size is recommended to accommodate for the high drop-out rates in such a population.

published_or_final_version / abstract / Social Work and Social Administration / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Dementia of Alzheimer‟s Type is a degenerative neurocognitive disease accounting for majority of Dementia‟s. It affects millions of people worldwide and thousands of people in South Africa. Apart from the economic burden this illness places on the country, it has detrimental effects for those who provide care for individuals with this illness, who are mostly spouses. The spousal caregivers bears great financial, social and emotional burden which worsens as the disease progresses. The aim of this study is to phenomenologically explore and describe the lived experiences of spousal caregivers in caring for the spouses with Dementia of Alzheimer‟s Type. This South African study was therefore qualitative in nature and was conducted in the province of KwaZulu- Natal, in the city of Pietermaritzburg. Eight participants were interviewed using a semi-structured questionnaire. Data was analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). The main findings of this study are the negative emotional affects that the caregiving role creates. Caregiver stress and strain is experienced as well as the experiences of various losses including lack of intimacy and ruined expectations for the future as the disease progresses. The caregiving role also created negative implications for the social lives of caregivers and coping mechanisms were seen to be very important. / Psychology / M.A. (Psychology)