Emotional support, physical help, and health of caregivers of stroke survivors.

An estimated 750,000 Americans suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year. Currently, there are more than 5 million stroke survivors alive, with as many as 30% of them being permanently disabled as a result of the stroke. It was estimated that Americans would pay $62.7 billion in 2007 for stroke-related medical costs and disability (American Heart Association, & American Stroke Association, 2007). Most of these stroke survivors are cared for in the home by family members (Dorsey & Vaca, 1998; Singh & Cameron, 2005; Ski & O’Connell, 2005). Due to the acute nature of the disease, many caregivers of stroke survivors enter the caring role abruptly and have little time to adapt (Kerr & Smith, 2001; Tooth, McKenna, Barnett, Prescott, & Murphy, 2005). Many caregivers feel inadequately prepared to face the emotional and physical challenges of caring for someone with a disability (Bakas, Austin, Okonkwo, Lewis, & Chadwick, 2002; Kerr & Smith), suggesting that the early weeks and months after discharge are an uncertain and vulnerable time for caregivers (Grant, Glandon, Elliot, Giger, & Weaver, 2004). Despite these findings, few studies have specifically addressed the needs and experiences of first-time caregivers of people with stroke during the initial phase of caring (Bakas et al.; Grant et al., 2004; Pierce et al., 2004) and how these needs and experiences change over time. The purpose of this descriptive, comparative study was to examine the emotional support, physical help, and health of caregivers of stroke survivors during the first 12 months of caring and whether these variables were affected by an online intervention of support and education. The research question was: Is there a difference in emotional support, physical help, and health of caregivers of stroke survivors who receive an online intervention versus those who do not at four points in time over the course of 1 year? This study was guided by Orem’s (2001) self-care deficit nursing theory, which is based on the concept of self-care, where individuals perform specific learned activities to maintain health and well-being. A self-care deficit occurs if total self-care actions do not meet needs. Nurses have specialized abilities, known as nursing agency, to help people with self-care deficits. Orem’s theory was chosen for this study because caregivers, as dependent care agents, have a dual role of caring for themselves (self-care agency) and for another person whose self-care demands cannot be independently met (dependent care agency).