Change in carers' activities after the death of their partners
Purpose: When a person is dying and during bereavement, family members often put their lives on hold to provide full-time care. Meaningful activities may be curtailed or forgotten. This study described the activities that changed between pre- and post-caring, and what factors assisted carers to re-e...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Journal Article |
| Published: |
Springer-Berlin
2013
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/34799 |
| _version_ | 1848754321665032192 |
|---|---|
| author | Rosenwax, Lorna Malajczuk, S. Ciccarelli, Marina |
| author_facet | Rosenwax, Lorna Malajczuk, S. Ciccarelli, Marina |
| author_sort | Rosenwax, Lorna |
| building | Curtin Institutional Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | Purpose: When a person is dying and during bereavement, family members often put their lives on hold to provide full-time care. Meaningful activities may be curtailed or forgotten. This study described the activities that changed between pre- and post-caring, and what factors assisted carers to re-engage in activities 2 years following the death of their partners. Methods: A mixed methods design included a cross-sectional survey and face-to-face interviews. The study occurred in 2009 with 40 females that cared for a partner who had subsequently died of cancer 2 years previously. Engagement in community and other activities was determined through use of the Activity Card Sort–Australia and semi-structured interviews. The SF-36v2 measured physical and mental health status, and perceived social support was measured using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support.Results: Most carers in our study were more engaged in household activities post-caring compared to their pre-caring activities, but had decreased social and leisure activities. Living as a single person meant they had taken on new roles and responsibilities. Leisure and social activities previously associated with subjective well-being and health were reduced or lost. Greater social support contributed to a higher retention of activities post-caring. Conclusions: Retention of activities could be facilitated by participation in community services, recreational groups and other support and interest groups, both during and after caring. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T08:38:33Z |
| format | Journal Article |
| id | curtin-20.500.11937-34799 |
| institution | Curtin University Malaysia |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T08:38:33Z |
| publishDate | 2013 |
| publisher | Springer-Berlin |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | curtin-20.500.11937-347992019-02-19T05:35:39Z Change in carers' activities after the death of their partners Rosenwax, Lorna Malajczuk, S. Ciccarelli, Marina bereavement community activity leisure activity participation family carers social activity Purpose: When a person is dying and during bereavement, family members often put their lives on hold to provide full-time care. Meaningful activities may be curtailed or forgotten. This study described the activities that changed between pre- and post-caring, and what factors assisted carers to re-engage in activities 2 years following the death of their partners. Methods: A mixed methods design included a cross-sectional survey and face-to-face interviews. The study occurred in 2009 with 40 females that cared for a partner who had subsequently died of cancer 2 years previously. Engagement in community and other activities was determined through use of the Activity Card Sort–Australia and semi-structured interviews. The SF-36v2 measured physical and mental health status, and perceived social support was measured using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support.Results: Most carers in our study were more engaged in household activities post-caring compared to their pre-caring activities, but had decreased social and leisure activities. Living as a single person meant they had taken on new roles and responsibilities. Leisure and social activities previously associated with subjective well-being and health were reduced or lost. Greater social support contributed to a higher retention of activities post-caring. Conclusions: Retention of activities could be facilitated by participation in community services, recreational groups and other support and interest groups, both during and after caring. 2013 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/34799 10.1007/s00520-013-2014-1 Springer-Berlin fulltext |
| spellingShingle | bereavement community activity leisure activity participation family carers social activity Rosenwax, Lorna Malajczuk, S. Ciccarelli, Marina Change in carers' activities after the death of their partners |
| title | Change in carers' activities after the death of their partners |
| title_full | Change in carers' activities after the death of their partners |
| title_fullStr | Change in carers' activities after the death of their partners |
| title_full_unstemmed | Change in carers' activities after the death of their partners |
| title_short | Change in carers' activities after the death of their partners |
| title_sort | change in carers' activities after the death of their partners |
| topic | bereavement community activity leisure activity participation family carers social activity |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/34799 |