The influence of culture on home-based family caregiving at end-of-life: A case study of Dutch reformed family care givers in Ontario, Canada
Section snippets
Background information and review of the literature
While models for community-based care are predicated in part on the assumption that patients want and will be better cared for in the community, they are highly dependent on and expect family support for success (Rajnovich et al., 2005, Romanow, 2002). Supporting people to die at home underpins the provision of P/EOL care because of its association with improved quality of life for patients (Stajduhar & Davies, 1998); as a result, it is believed to fit well with the community-based care
Research methods
This study was conducted over a 16 month period in 2008–2009. The overall research question guiding this study was: what factors are significant to Dutch Reformed FCGs as a cultural entity in the provision of P/EOL care? Given that the issue of family caregiving with Dutch Reformed FCGs is not well well-understood, we used an instrumental case study research design (Creswell, 2007, Stake, 2000). This method is appropriate to understand an issue within its context and over time through the
Results
The results of the case study are presented in the following section. We begin with a brief description of the FCG participants, followed by an overview of the locally-situated socio-historical context of the group. This contextual information was provided in part by key informants who were religious leaders in the community. This description, which situates the group in space and time, provides a backdrop which is central to understanding the experience of caregiving. It both explains and
Discussion and concluding remarks
The purpose of this research was to understand cultural influences on P/EOL caregiving with a Dutch Reformed population living in southern Ontario. To date, there is a dearth of research on cultural diversity in family caregiving, and the research that is available tends to focus mainly on Asian, African African-American and Hispanic populations, all of which tend to be pervasive in numerous urban locales. In contrast, the Dutch Reformed population in Canada is, for the most part,
Acknowledgements
Our heartfelt thanks and appreciation goes out to the FCGs for participating in this study. We also extend our thanks to the palliative home care team for their assistance with this research. This study was made possible through funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and a Canada Graduate Scholarship (Doctoral) from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.
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