Cuesta-Benjumea, Carmen de la, Ramis Ortega, Emilia, Arredondo-González, Claudia Patricia
To manage a complex dependency: The experience of caregiving after a fall
Journal of Advanced Nursing. 2019, 75(1): 138-149. doi:10.1111/jan.13831
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10045/82752
DOI: 10.1111/jan.13831
ISSN: 0309-2402 (Print)
Abstract: 
Aim: To understand the experience of family members of an older relative who has had a fall which required medical attention. Background: There is abundant bibliography in caregiving, but little is known about the problems faced by caregivers and how family members cope when their older relative has a fall. Design: Qualitative study that used a symbolic interactionism perspective. Methods: Twenty‐two people with older relatives, who had had a fall and contacted health services in Spain, participated in the study. Data were obtained via written accounts, focus groups, and semi‐structured interviews between February 2014 ‐ December 2015. Analysis was guided by grounded theory procedures. Results: With the fall, dependency becomes a complex issue for the family. To manage a complex dependency is the core issue that emerges from the data analysis. It depicts family efforts to assist their relative in gaining autonomy after a fall, in the best conditions they can provide. They do this with little guidance and support from healthcare professionals. Conclusions: Guides and protocols for the care of a fragile older person, particularly after a fall, should not only include care but also support to caregivers. Health professionals and especially nurses need to be aware and respond to the family caregivers needs after a fall. To the fall prevention initiatives already in place, it must be added that those who support family members to cope with the care of an older person who has had a fall.
Keywords:Caregiving, Focus groups, Nursing home care, Older people, Falls, Qualitative approaches
John Wiley & Sons
info:eu-repo/semantics/article