The Suffering Experiences: Family Caregiver of Home Based Palliative Care in Malaysia

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Caring for a family member who has advanced cancer and is nearing the end of their life comes with a slew of concerns and obstacles for the caregiver. A thorough understanding of the hardships and tribulations of caregiving may be a step toward resolving the issues that these patients’ family caregivers confront. AIM: The present study aimed to explore the suffering experienced faced by Malaysian family member who has advanced cancer and is nearing the end of their life. MATERIALS: The present qualitative study was conducted through in-depth semi-structured interviews held with seven family caregivers of cancer patients selected through purposive sampling. Interviews continued until the saturation of data. All interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed through conventional content analysis. RESULTS: The codes extracted from interviews produced five main themes, including empathic suffering, powerless and hopeless suffering, predictive suffering, compliance suffering, and barriers’ wrath, which collectively caused suffering for family caregivers. CONCLUSION: Care provided in an atmosphere of suffering and discontent diminishes the caregiver’s quality of life and quality of patient care. Health planners should therefore consider the challenges and sufferings faced by family caregivers and should seek to obviate them through plans.