Understanding informal carers experiences of caring for older people with a hip fracture: a systematic review of qualitative studies

WILLETT, KEITH; SALETTI CUESTA, LORENA; LANSTAFF, DEBBIE; TUTTON, LIZ

DISABILITY AND REHABILITATION

TAYLOR & FRANCIS LTD

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2018 vol. 40 p. 740 - 750

0963-8288

Purpose: This systematic review aimed to reconceptualize experiences from a variety of papers to provide direction for research, policy and practice.Method: Meta-ethnography was used to inform the review, and 21 studies were included.Findings: The analysis identified a core theme of ?engaging in care: struggling through?, as carers, who wanted to be involved in caring, learnt to live with the intense and stressful impact of caring and changes to their life. The core theme is represented through three themes (1) Helping another to live, (2) Adapting ways of living and (3) Negotiating the unknown.Conclusions: The discussion identified a focus on carers of people suffering from a hip fracture, the willingness of informal carers to engage in caring and the intense experience of adapting to changes in relationships and dependency alongside a steep experiential learning curve. Tensions exist in negotiations with complex health care systems as carers do not feel their expertise is valued and struggle to find and understand information.