This qualitative study investigated the experiences of family caregivers who cared
for a stroke survivor throughout weekend passes from an in-patient rehabilitation facility.
Following a Husserlian phenomenological perspective, I interviewed 15 family
caregivers of stroke survivors on two separate occasions: within one week after their first
scheduled weekend pass, and again two weeks after their final transition home.
Interviews followed a semi-structured interview guide, and were audio recorded.
Interviews were transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using the principles outlined by
Giorgi (1997). Analysis of the caregivers’ descriptions of their experiences led to five
themes: (i) Caregivers feel overwhelmed throughout the weekend pass, (ii) Access to
supportive resources influences caregiving experiences, (iii) Caregivers adjust to the
weekend pass throughout its subsequent use, (iv) Caregivers feel a responsibility and a
need to be included by health professionals in the care of their family stroke survivor, and
(v) Caregivers describe the weekend pass as a means towards recovery. This study has
implications for future health services. By appropriately training and supporting
caregivers throughout the weekend pass health care professionals can increase the
positive experiences of caregivers, and optimize the opportunity to prepare caregivers and
stroke survivors for the eventual transition home.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:OTU.1807/18897 |
| Date | 15 February 2010 |
| Creators | Marsella, Amanda |
| Contributors | Cameron, Jill |
| Source Sets | Library and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada |
| Language | en_ca |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis |
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