Support for Bereaved Friend and Family Caregivers of Cancer Patients
Michigan State University
Summary
Friend and family caregivers of recently deceased cancer patients experience acute bereavement following the death. Post death bereavement is an intense period of mourning that includes an unfolding of the grief process and is characterized by strong emotions and demands on cognitive resources to those who have put aside their own needs to support the dying patient with cancer. This research will test the feasibility and acceptability of a nature-based healing meditation (NBHM) intervention to support cancer caregivers' during the bereavement process.
Description
Bereaved friend and family caregivers have taken on the burden of end-of-life care for patients with cancer who die in hospice care at home. Bereavement can be emotionally devastating, especially to those who have put aside their own needs to support the dying individual. Supporting bereaved CGs' emotional health and general well-being is a critical need. The proposed pilot study will evaluate the acceptability and feasibility of a 6-week low-tech nature meditation intervention aimed at supporting bereaved caregivers' who are in the first 6 months since the patients' death. The intervention, b…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18+ years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria: * 18 years old or older; Able and willing to provide reflexology * Able to speak and understand English * Have access to a telephone * Able to hear normal conversation * Cognitively oriented to time, place, and person (determined via recruiter) Exclusion Criteria: * Unwilling to perform return demonstration with 90% accuracy
Interventions
- OtherNature-based healing meditation (NBHM) intervention
6 nature-based healing meditation (NBHM) auditory modules available via the study website to facilitate bereavement (grief) recovery and assessed on parameters of directed attention, grief, and QOL (including parameters of depression/anxiety)
Location
- Michigan State University College of NursingEast Lansing, Michigan