Motives Inspiring Long-Term Care Management of Caregivers Caring for Stroke Survivors in One District of a Southern Border Province

Abstract

This study applied the Straussian Grounded Theory Method to explore the perspectives of caregivers on what motives inspire their long-term care management while caring for their stroke survivor patients. Fifteen participants were recruited from the caregivers who had spent at least four hours per day on caring for their stroke patients for six months or more in a sub-district or municipality of one district of a southern border province. Data were gathered by using in-depth audio taped interviews, as well as observations and field notes that enabled concurrent data validation with methodological triangulation. Results seem to suggest the following.

The motives for caregivers’ long-term care management while caring for their stroke survivor patients could be divided in two categories. The first category of motives is marked by integrity: it consists in fundamental drive, a full-care engagement from caregivers toward their patients over the long period of care.

The second category follows to the patient’s condition, which usually has three stages. In the first stage, the caring practices are anticipating that the patient might make a full recovery or could be able to do some daily living activities. In the second stage, the most powerful influences reinforcing the caregivers’ attitude and behaviors where being concerned about developing complications, and the belief that good patient caring could lead them to gain benefits. Caregivers tend to assist the survivors with fluctuating symptoms, in order to maintain some degree of recovery. In the final stage, the caregivers tend to sustain their care for their patients although their cure is hopeless. They try to make their patients as comfortable as possible, until the last minute.

Findings could be applied to guide nursing administrators and nursing practitioners about how to manage the provision of corresponding long-term care for stroke survivors, caregivers, and their families when their caregivers’ motives develop and change over time throughout the stroke patients’ trajectory.