Informal/Family Caregiving

Overview

Informal/Family caregivers provide care to a family member or friend living with dementia. The CARE Lab has conducted extensive research on the issues surrounding informal/family caregiving, for example, about correlation between caregiver and communication. The following studies explore the various topics within this sector of care.

Publications

Savundranayagam, M.Y., Basque, S., Roberts, A., Orange, J.B. et al.. "Do Family Members’ Most Important Concerns about Caregiving Vary across the Caregiving Career?" Gerontological Society of America/IAGG World Congress of Gerontology and Geriatrics (2017) 
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Caregiver identity theory proposes that the family caregivers’ relationship identity evolves over time across their caregiving career. This study explored whether family member’s most important concerns about caregiving vary across the caregiving career and by kindship status. 

Savundranayagam, M.Y. "Receiving while giving: The differential roles of receiving help and satisfaction with help on caregiver rewards among spouses and adult-children." International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry (2014) 
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A number of psychoeducational interventions aim to inspire caregivers to seek help from their social support networks in order to aid in effective coping. This study explored the impact of changes in both help and satisfaction with help on the positive aspects of caregiving for both spouse and adult-child caregivers that attended a psychoeducational intervention.  

Savundranayagam, M.Y. and Orange, J.B. "Matched and mismatched appraisals of the effectiveness of communication strategies by family caregivers" International Journal of Language and Communication Disorders (2014) 
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Problem behaviors and increased caregiver stress can result from communication problems from Alzheimer’s disease (AD). This study investigated the effectiveness of strategies to resolve these communication breakdowns. 

Watson, B., Aizawa, L.D.,  Savundranayagam, M.Y., and Orange, J.B. "Links among communication, dementia, and caregiver burden" Canadian Journal of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology (2012) 
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This paper addresses complex relationships among communication issues in dementia, family caregiver burden, and the effectiveness of communication education and training programs designed to improve communication and minimize caregiver burden.  

Savundranayagam, M.Y., Montgomery, R.J.V., and Kosloski, K. "A Dimensional Analysis of Caregiver Burden among Spouses and Adult-Children" The Gerontologist Vol. 51 Iss. 3 (2011) 
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Caregiver burden is a construct that is linked to tension and anxiety, changes in dyadic relationships, and time infringements as a result of caregiving. This study explores whether there are differences in caregiver burden between caregiving spouses and adult children. 

Savundranayagam, M.Y., Montgomery, R.J.V., Kosloski, K. and Little, T.D. "Impact of a Psychoeducational Program on Three Types of Caregiver Burden among Spouses" International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry Vol. 26 Iss. 4 (2011) 
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This study explores whether spouse caregivers who attended a psychoeducational intervention known as “Powerful Tools for Caregivers” (PTC) exhibit reductions in stress burden, relationship burden, and objective burden in comparison to a control group.  

Savundranayagam, M.Y. and Orange, J.B. "Relationships between Appraisals of Caregiver Communication Strategies and Burden among Spouses and Adult-Children" International Psychogeriatrics Vol. 23 Iss. 9 (2011) 
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This study aimed to explore the relationships between appraisal of caregiver communication strategies and burden among spouses and adult-children caring for persons living with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). 

Savundranayagam, M.Y. and Montgomery, R.J.V. "Impact of Role Discrepancies on Caregiver Burden among Spouses" Research on Aging Vol. 32 Iss. 2 (2010) 
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This study investigates whether role discrepancies mediate the relationships that exist between illness-related stressors (e.g., limitations activities of daily living and problem behaviours) and types of burden (e.g., stress, relationship, and objective burden) for spouse caregivers.  

Savundranayagam, M.Y., Hummert, M.L., and Montgomery R.J.V. "Investigating the Effects of Communication Problems on Caregiver Burden" Journal of Gerontology: Social Sciences Vol. 60B Iss. 1 (2005) 
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One potential determinant of caregiver burden is communication problems associated with dementia. This study aimed to explore the relationship between communication issues and caregiver burden, with consideration of the context of problem behaviors as well as the cognitive and functional abilities of the care recipient.