The burden and coping strategies experienced by caregivers of elderly patients in the palliative care unit and internal medicine service

Objective: This descriptive and comparative study was conducted to determine the relationship between the burden experienced by caregivers of elderly patients in the palliative care unit and internal medicine service and their coping strategies for burden. Method: The sample of the study consisted of 80 caregivers of the elderly hospitalized in the Palliative Care Unit and Internal Medicine Service in a city hospital between April and June 2017. In this study, Personal Information Form prepared by the researchers, Burden Interview and Coping Styles Scale Brief Form were used. Independent samples t test and one-way analysis of variance, and Pearson's correlation analysis were used to assess the data. The level of significance was accepted as 0.05. Results: Most of the caregivers of elderly patients were female (65%) and 38.8% were over 50 years. The total score obtained by the caregivers from the Burden Interview was 50.37 ± 10.93 in the palliative care unit and 32.72 ± 8.72 in the internal medicine clinic. A significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of the subscales "Planning and Searching Social Support for Aim" of the Coping Styles Scale and the total score of Burden Interview. Conclusion: Nurses should develop socio-demographic characteristics, financial difficulties, and family relationships that may pose a risk for burden of caregivers of elderly patients in the palliative care units and help them to develop coping strategies for the burden. Key Words: Coping, Burden, Nursing, Palliative Care, Elderly.