Cancer and caregiving: the impact on the caregiver's health

A diagnosis of cancer affects not only the patient but also their significant others, espicially when a lot of care tasks are involved. Some caregivers perceive the care as a burden, while others consider it a challenge. Int he article, findings concerning the impact of cancer caregiving on informal caregivers will be described. No consistent results are reported, and little is known about patterns of caregiving changes in relation to the course of the patient's illlness. Attention will be given to factors which have been identified as influencing the course and consequences of caregiving. Thesefactors form the basis of a conceptual research model for caregivers of cancer patients. As cancer progresses, care tasks are generated, which cann be perveived by the caregiver as either negative (i.e. burden) or positive. Furthermore, these caregiver exoeriences may lead to negative as well as positive effects on the caregiver's health and these relationships can be assumed to be bidirectional.