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Background and Objectives: Historically, research, practice, and policy on Alzheimer's family care has been largely focused on dyadic relationships and the experience of burden and stress, often failing to capture the complex caring dynamics as they unfold over time. This study sought to develop a more nuanced understanding of how people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and their families are affected by the disease and how they respond to the challenges AD poses. Research Design and Methods: Using constructivist grounded theory, the study explored the experiences of living with AD for native Spanish families residing in Navarra. Data were collected from a series of 26 interviews with seven family units living with early stage AD and further validated with three focus groups with 14 caregivers of people with mid/advanced AD. Data were analyzed to capture the main processes involved and charted how these evolved over time. Results: Keeping things in balance describes the way family works to preserve a balance between caring and their lives before the onset of AD. Three main temporal stages to the experience of early AD, along with their associated processes, were identified: (a) what's going on here and the processes of noticing, suspecting, and confirming; (b) our life is changing underpinned by the processes of watching and redefining; and (c) keeping things together and its associated balancing process. These reinforced the dynamic nature of living with AD over time. Discussion and Implications: This study was novel in its design as it included the person with AD as part of the functioning family unit. The temporal stages and the key social processes identified have the potential to inform the development of "stage-specific" interventions for the support of the whole family at various points in time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To identify instruments for assessing family functioning in adults patients with cancer and summarize their psychometric properties., Methods: Psychometric systematic literature review was conducted to June 2023 using four databases: PubMed, CINAHL, Psych INFO, and Web of Science. The psychometric properties of the instruments and the methodological quality of the studies were evaluated using the Consensus-based Standards for the Selection of Health Measurement Instruments (COSMIN) checklist. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) was used to rate the best available evidence., Results: Forty-four studies reporting 13 instruments were included. The instruments measured varied attributes of family functioning and the dimensions were heterogeneous. The Cancer Communication Assessment Tool for Patients and Families (CCAT-PF) was rated the highest in terms of both methodological rigor and instrument quality. However, the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES) and the Ice-Expressive Family Functioning Questionnaire (ICE-EFFQ) offer a more comprehensive measure of family functioning, since they assess multiple dimensions of family functioning and demonstrate high-quality measurement properties., Conclusions: Instruments to assess family functioning were heterogeneous and exhibited limited reliability and validity. The FACES and the ICE-EFFQ seem to be the most suitable measures for adult cancer patients and their families. Future research should aim to refine the content of existing instruments and rigorously assess their psychometric properties., Implications for Nursing Practice: Given the profound impact of cancer on family functioning, the initial step in crafting effective interventions is providing valid and reliable instruments to measure the impact of these interventions. This paper could assist nursing professionals in making informed decisions regarding the most suitable instrument for assessing family functioning in adults patients living with life-threatening illness as is the case with cancer., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Along with ageing population, there has been an increase in the prevalence and incidence of chronic and debilitating conditions, such as dementia which, in turn, has increased the demands for long term care in the community. This is challenging current health care systems that wish to provide an appropriate response whilst intensify its efforts to contain costs. This paper, through a critical reflection, argues for an integrative, positive, and systemic care approach, focused not only on the person with dementia but also on the entire family unit. For this purpose, it approaches the impact that dementia has for the family, and therefore for Primary Health Care professional. In addition care strategies aimed at strengthening the whole family system are suggested., (Copyright © 2016 Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.)