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Background: Many caregivers are insufficiently prepared, and little is known about measures that can be employed to enhance their preparedness. Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the factors associated with caregiver preparedness and establish a predictive model including the relationship between preparedness, burden, resilience and anxiety. Design: A cross‐sectional design was used. Methods: The sample included 172 family caregivers who were selected from one private hospital and daytime nursing centres. Caregivers were recruited from 2018 to 2019; they completed assessments for caregiver preparedness, anxiety, resilience and burden. A multiple linear regression analysis was performed to identify the factors associated with preparedness. Results: Preparedness was significantly associated with high levels of resilience and a low level of burden, while it was not associated with anxiety. Caregivers' gender, experience and cohabitation status were the main predictors. Resilience is an explanatory factor for caregiver preparedness in the predictive model. Conclusion: The demographic variables related to preparedness can be used to guide efforts to meet the needs of vulnerable caregivers. A caregiver's preparedness depends on their level of burden and resilience. Nursing interventions focused on these aspects could make the caregiver's role easier and improve the quality of care provided. Summary statement: What is already known about this topic? Many caregivers are inadequately prepared for this role, and ensuring adequate preparedness is important for family caregivers.Preparedness and factors predictive of this in Spanish family caregivers have not been well‐documented.Resilience, burden and anxiety affect caregivers, but the degree to which they influence caregivers' preparation levels is unknown. What is the contribution of this paper? Specific factors influence the preparedness of family caregivers. Men and caregivers who do not cohabit in the same household with the care‐dependent person may present greater deficits in preparedness. Moreover, poor health and lack of experience in caring can result in inadequate caregiving performance.Readiness, resilience and burden are significantly related, and the best predictor of family caregivers' preparedness is resilience.Resilience leads to greater preparedness in caregivers, and better‐prepared caregivers experience a lighter burden. What are the implications of this paper? Knowing the factors associated with preparedness in advance will allow health‐care professionals to prevent deficits in vulnerable family caregivers.Resilience is a decisive factor which prevents negative consequences such as low preparedness. A resilient coping style can diminish the burden and promote successful adaptation in caregivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The aim of this study was to explore factors that influence family caregiver readiness to adopt health smart home technology for their care‐dependent older adult family member. Health smart homes are designed to remotely monitor the health and wellness of community‐dwelling older adults supporting independent living for as long as possible. Accordingly, if the health smart home is deployed into the home of a care‐depended older adult, it can potentially support family caregivers by facilitating workforce participation and give piece of mind to the family caregiver who may not live close to the older adult. However, wider adoption of health smart home technologies into the homes of community‐older adults is low, and little is known about the factors that influence the readiness of family caregivers to adopt smart home technologies for their care‐dependent older adults. Design: A qualitative Descriptive study design was utilized. Methods: Qualitative data were collected between 2019 and 2020 via semi‐structured interviews. Thematic analysis of interviews was completed, and data were organized into themes. Results: Study findings show that caregiver readiness (N = 10) to adopt smart home technology to monitor older adult family members were influenced by five primary themes including a 'big brother effect', 'framing for acceptance', 'data privacy', 'burden' and 'cost.' Conclusion: Family caregivers were open to adopting smart home technology to support the independent living of their older adult family members. However, the readiness of family caregivers was inextricably linked to the older adults' readiness for smart home adoption. The family caregiver's primary concern was on how they could frame the idea of the smart home to overcome what they viewed as hesitancy to adopt in the older adult. The findings suggest that family caregivers endeavour to balance the hesitancy in their older adult family members with the potential benefits of smart home technology. Impact: Family caregivers could benefit if their care‐dependent older adults adopt smart home technology. Recognizing the role of caregivers and their perspectives on using smart home technologies with their care‐dependents is critical to the meaningful design, use and adoption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims and objectives: To reduce the likelihood of preventable readmissions, the aim was to investigate how older people (with their family members) managed their chronic health conditions at home following hospital discharge. The objectives explored older people and their family members' perspectives on how discharge plans assisted self‐management of their chronic conditions, their recognition of deterioration and when to seek treatment/re‐attend hospital. Background: Chronic conditions have challenged older adults' self‐management, particularly after hospital discharge and can impact on preventable readmission. Few studies have examined patients' and their family members' perspectives on the management of their conditions at home after hospitalisation. Design: A qualitative exploratory design known as Interpretive Description was utilised. Methods: Purposeful sampling involved 27 community‐dwelling older adults; nineteen were discharged patients with one or more chronic health conditions. Eight nominated family members were also recruited to enhance understanding of the older persons' self‐management at home. Interviews were undertaken and thematic data analysis followed the COREQ guidelines. Results: Five themes emerged: (1) Post‐Discharge Advice; (2) Managing at Home; (3) Recognition and Response to Deterioration; (4) Community Care and Support; and (5) The "Burden" on Others of Post‐Discharge Care. Conclusion: Older people sought a clear plan for self‐management at home prior to discharge. This plan should contain potential signs of deterioration and guidance on future action. We found that support given to older people from family and friends was critical to prevent readmission. In addition, their local General Practitioner and Pharmacist played an essential part in the support of their care. For some, social support services were also important. Nurse telephone follow‐up in the week following discharge was mostly absent. However, this strategy would be strongly recommended. Relevance to clinical practice: To mitigate against preventable readmission, we recommend the above strategies to assist the older person at home with self‐management of their chronic conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim and objectives: To explore the experiences of caregivers of persons with dementia and dementia coordinators regarding their collaboration in care for a person with dementia and the feasibility of using technology in this collaboration. Background: Caregivers of persons with dementia have a significant risk of developing physical strain and psychological stress due to caregiver burden. Internationally, the use of technology is rapidly evolving in health care. Dementia coordinators employed in municipalities in Denmark support caregivers of persons with dementia, thus helping management of life with dementia. The cooperation between dementia coordinators and caregivers is essential, and the use of technology in everyday life is inevitable. Methods: A qualitative, exploratory, descriptive design was used. Data were derived from five focus group interviews in which 13 caregivers and 14 dementia coordinators participated. The participants' narratives were used to elucidate their experiences and attitudes, and data were analysed using thematic analysis. The study reports according to the COREQ checklist. Results: The analysis revealed three themes: the need for creating a safety net in everyday life, the need for moving together in the right direction and the need for handling technology while preserving relational interaction. Conclusions: Technology might be used as a mediator to help ease some caregiving tasks or the burden of caregiving. However, technology is an area in which the caregivers must rely on their competences and initiatives. Even though the collaboration between caregivers and dementia coordinators was beneficial and supportive, dementia coordinators experienced technology as outside the core elements of their daily work. Relevance to clinical practice: We suggest further discussion regarding who is best suited to support caregivers in making choices regarding which technologies to implement in caring for a person with dementia. If this discussion is not taken seriously, there is a risk of leaving caregivers in a technological quagmire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Older people with cognitive impairment may have lack of understanding of their health and ability to co‐ordinate care needs. Family carers play a key role in supporting older people but the role of family carers in emergency discharge has not been explored well. Objective: To explore and describe the role and contribution of family carers accompanying the older person with cognitive impairment to the emergency department. Design: A exploratory descriptive study was conducted in which telephone interviews were performed. Setting: Three emergency departments located in metropolitan Sydney, Australia; two major tertiary referral centres and one district hospital. The EQUATOR research checklist (COnsolidated criteria for REporting Qualitative research) (COREQ) was used to report the qualitative study. Subjects: Participants were family carers accompanying people aged ≥64 years with cognitive impairment; with non‐urgent triage classifications; English speaking and eligible for discharge home. Semi‐structured telephone interviews were conducted 2 to 4 weeks after the older person was discharged. Data were reflexively thematically analysed in NVIVO independently by three researchers. Results: Twenty‐eight interviews were conducted. Three key themes were evident: (1) 'communicating knowledge of the older person's health status and usual behaviour'; (2) 'providing advocacy, translation, surrogacy and care co‐ordination'; and (3) 'ensuring safe transition from the emergency department to home'. Conclusions: Study findings detailed how family carers created an important safety net while the older person was in emergency, through advocacy and the communication of vital health information. More importantly, their knowledge influenced the healthcare management of the older person and ensured safe discharge and co‐ordination of care in the community. Relevance to clinical practice: The study identified for older persons with cognitive impairment a safe stay in the ED and transition home from hospital was supported by family carers and assisted to ensure that discharge information was understood and adhered to optimise wellbeing and prevent adverse outcomes. The findings of this study can inform discharge processes for nurses, nurse practitioners and doctors. Additionally, processes to support family carer engagement would optimise older person compliance and better inform healthcare decision‐making and choice for older peoples, family carers. The findings of the study should inform discharge processes to minimise risk of readmission, financial burden and harm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To develop a comprehensive understanding of resilience and its associated factors among informal caregivers of people with heart failure. Design: Transnational multicentre convergent mixed methods approach. Methods: This study was conducted in three European countries: Italy, Spain and the Netherlands; during February 2017 and December 2018. In total, 195 caregivers completed the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale, Caregiver Burden Inventory and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. From a nested sample 50 caregivers participated in semi‐structured face‐to‐face interviews. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis, multiple regression and joint displays. Results: The caregivers' mean age was over 60 years. The quantitative results showed that caregivers experienced anxiety and depression regardless of a good score of resilience and moderate level of burden. Regression analysis showed that the resilience was associated with caregiver depression. From qualitative findings three resilience inhibiting (psychological outlook, physical weariness and affective state) and two promoting factors (community interconnectedness and self‐comforting activities) were generated. Mixed analysis confirmed that depression decreased caregivers' resilience. Conclusions: Caregivers of people with heart failure experience continuous stress and anxiety resulting in reduced resilience. Collaborative efforts are needed to build multifaceted interventions and programs to enhance caregivers' resilience by targeting the factors identified in this study. Impact: The quality of informal caregiving is affected by the resilience of caregivers. No research has explored the resilience levels and its factors in this population. Depression, psychological outlook, physical weariness and affective state are negative factors of caregivers' resilience. Personal strategies combined with social and community support and belongingness enhance caregivers' resilience. Community care organizations and hospitals could establish alliances to develop programs for enhancing caregivers' resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]