• Karla T Washington, George Demiris, Debra Parker Oliver, Elaine Wittenberg-Lyles, and Edith Crumb.
• Kent School of Social Work, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA. karla.washington@louisville.edu
• Palliat Med. 2012 Dec 1;26(8):1018-24.

BackgroundInformal hospice caregivers may experience compromised well-being as a result of significant stress. Although quite limited, problem-solving interventions with this population have garnered empirical support for improved caregiver well-being.AimResearchers sought to answer the following question: which specific intervention processes impacted informal hospice caregivers who participated in a problem-solving intervention?DesignResearchers conducted a thematic analysis of open-ended exit interviews with informal hospice caregivers who had participated in a structured problem-solving intervention.Setting/ParticipantsParticipants were friends and family members who provided unpaid care for a home hospice patient receiving services from one of two hospice agencies located in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States.ResultsDuring their participation in the problem-solving intervention, caregivers actively reflected on caregiving, structured problem-solving efforts, partnered with interventionists, resolved problems, and gained confidence and control.ConclusionsThe study findings provide much needed depth to the field's understanding of problem-solving interventions for informal hospice caregivers and can be used to enhance existing support services.

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