how on earth do care-givers cope?
As formal health services fail to meet the demands placed on them by the HIV and AIDS pandemic, it is spouses, partners, children, parents and other family members who increasingly bear the burden of care. For these carers, it is often an emotionally intense and physically demanding experience, characterised by persistent, stressful demands. Why do some carers cope well and others find it more difficult?
In order to answer this question, Sherina Naidoo questioned 50 adult care-givers, known and supported by former EngageHIV partner Masizakhe Community Project. The research was part of her Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology, awarded by Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University in Port Elizabeth.
Using well-attested concepts and methods, Sherina measured the ‘cope-ability’ of care-givers and examined the cognitive, social, emotional, physical and spiritual/philosophical factors involved. She has presented the data to the team at Masizakhe and made some specific recommendations to help them make plans for the future. EngageHIV hopes they will be able to use and adapt the recommendations for their context.
The specific recommendations for care-givers were:
- Use problem-focused rather than emotion-focused strategies to cope with stress
- Change care-giving patterns by ensuring goals are realistic and by pacing yourselves
- Adopt relaxation techniques, strive for good health and maintain a life outside your care-giving role so as to ensure you have time to care for yourselves
- Build a support network to encourage and care for one another
EngageHIV looks forward to seeing how the cope-ability of those that Masizakhe supports improves in the future.
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