Carers in palliative home care - respite interventions: A literature review

Family carers - the cornerstone of home-based care. A vulnerable group of people who need support in their day-to-day caregiving role. Research has highlighted the burdens they face. However, research into ways of alleviating these burdens has stagnated for the past 20 years. Owing to demographic change, the number of family carers is set to rise in the coming years. The question this book aims to answer is: What interventions are available to relieve the burden on family carers in home-based palliative care? The aim of this inquiry is to use a systematic literature review in the online database PubMed to identify studies that examine different interventions for this group. Eight studies were included as relevant to answering the research question. Two main categories of interventions to relieve the burden on family carers were identified: one-to-one interventions and group interventions. Further research is essential in order to be able to act in a way that is tailored to the needs and requirements of those involved.