Challenges and Coping Strategies in Transitioning From Caregiving to Widowhood: A Systematic Review.

Ninety-one percent of surviving spouses in the U.S. cared for their spouses before they died. This review explores the challenges of the transition from caregiving to widowhood and different coping strategies used by widowed spousal caregivers. A systematic review of literature on the transition from caregiving to widowhood was conducted using four major academic search engines. Overall, 280 articles were identified, with 22 meeting the inclusion criteria. Challenges for widowed caregivers included experiencing care burden, letting go of the caregiver role, grief, and triggers. Widowed caregivers' coping strategies included social support and services use, filling the time gap, finding spirituality, and engaging in unhealthy behaviors. Future research is needed to determine the efficacy of widowed caregivers' coping strategies. Concerted and collaborative action by health professionals, community organizations, and policymakers is needed to develop programs and other approaches to support widowed caregivers.

An online intervention to improve the health and well-being of informal caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease: A pilot study.

Objective: Describe an intervention to improve the health and well-being of informal caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and present pilot program findings. Methods: Participants (N = 31, mean age = 45.7) were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: an online synchronous didactic lesson and peer support session series or an asynchronous didactic only session series. Outcome variables included physical health, nutrition intake, and stress. One-way ANOVA was conducted to examine the effects of the intervention. The least significant difference (LSD) post hoc test was used to analyze the difference pattern between means. Results: Participants in both conditions reported healthier dietary behavior and lower level of stress from pre-intervention to the post-intervention. These effects were not maintained at one-month follow up. Conclusion: An online educational intervention may improve the health and well-being of informal caregivers of people with AD. Further research is necessary to determine which specific intervention components to include and what strategies may help participants maintain improved health behaviors. Innovation: This program focused on the health and well-being of informal caregivers of individuals with AD rather than on emphasizing how caregivers can perform their caregiving duties better. The intervention was provided in an underserved lower-income, rural area.

Parenting style in childhood and attitudes toward caregiving in adulthood: a qualitative study.

This study aims to explore how relationships with parents during childhood can influence an individual's attitude toward caregiving later in life. The qualitative data came from 47 respondents who care for adult loved ones, with a caregiver mean age of 46.7. The respondents reflected on their recent experience of providing care for their loved ones and how experiences with their caregivers growing up may have influenced their caregiving attitudes. Using a codebook thematic analysis, themes were generated linking childhood experiences to current attitudes toward caregiving. Themes included reciprocating good care, performing obligatory care, and stopping the generational transference of negative care. For most participants, providing quality care for adult loved ones happened regardless of whether the one's childhood experiences with caregivers were positive or negative. Knowledge about the impact of childhood experiences can help health professionals develop interventions to support family caregivers that consider childhood experiences with parents.

Impact of COVID-19 on the Health and Well-being of Informal Caregivers of People with Dementia: A Rapid Systematic Review.

Background: In December 2019, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), or COVID-19, raised worldwide concern. Since then, the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively influenced health and wellness across the globe and caused nearly three million deaths. This study focuses on informal caregivers of people with dementia, a disease that affects about 50 million older adults worldwide and requires much caregiving support. Objective: Examine the current literature on the impact of COVID-19 on the health and well-being of informal caregivers for people with dementia. Method: This rapid review was conducted across five electronic databases for quantitative and qualitative articles published through March 15, 2021. Results: The 10 studies included in this review reported quantitative descriptive data from across the globe; however, no studies existed from the U.S. or East Asia countries. All of the studies examined the psychological rather than physical impact of COVID-19 and highlighted risk and protective factors in the areas of psychosocial (resilience, neuropsychiatric, and social isolation), sociodemographic (gender and education), and environmental (home confinement, living arrangement, and dementia stage). Conclusion: COVID-19 has had a considerable negative impact on the psychological well-being of informal caregivers of people with dementia, namely causing more depression and anxiety than pre-pandemic.