Taking care of a relative with cancer: the impact on the quotidian of a caretaker

Abstract

doi: 10.5216/ree.v12i4.12160

Taking care of a family member with malignant neoplasia is becoming a reality for a lot of families. The diagnosis of a disease of such severity affects as much the sick individuals as the rest of their family, imposing several changes in peoples' life. In that context, the objective of this study was to understand how taking care of a person with cancer affects the daily life of the family caretaker. For that, we opted for a study of qualitative approach based in Heidegger existential phenomenology. Interviews were accomplished with ten caretakers in their homes, in the period from March to June of 2010, in a city located in the Northwest of Paraná State. The interviewees were inquired with the following subject: "What does taking care of a relative with cancer means to you, and how such cares affect your daily life?" From the analysis two ontological themes emerged: Being-with-the-other during the treatment, and Cancer affecting the caretaker's quality of life. We believe that a nurse should get acquainted about the experiences not only of the patient, but also of the relative caretaker, and to understand the problems faced by him, so that it makes possible to organize interventions in a systemic context, appreciating all of the instances - physical, emotional, social, cultural, spiritual and ethic.

Descriptors: Caregiving; Medical Oncology; Family Relations; Quality of Life.