The meaning of caring for a dependent elderly woman after a stroke

Objective: To understand the meaning of caring for a dependent elderly woman after a stroke, from her daughter perspective, who plays the role of family caregiver (fc). Methodology: Qualitative case study with purposeful selection, which was carried out in municipality of the southwestern region of Bahia, in the year 2016. For data collection, dependency and caregiving burden scales, a questionnaire, and a semi-structured interview were used. Results: Three categories from data analysis were identified: Meaning of being a caregiver for an elderly women after a stroke, proving that the reciprocal caring emerges from a satisfactory pre-existent family relationship and brings both happiness and gratitude; Impact of caring on daily life, revealing a need to reorganize personal activities and even to suspend the work activities. Physical, financial, social and emotional care burden was, respectively, identified because of bodily pain, difficulties in the family budget/fulfilling leisure activities, inadequate sleep, tiredness/stress; Coping with the demands for care, highlighting faith in God as the primary resource and an adolescent as a secondary caregiver. The hidden formal support and the other relatives’ lack of informal support were regarded as negative factors. Conclusion: Public policies on health need to develop caring lines for stroke survivor and to include effective support protocols for family caregiver, enabling training and socialization of experience spaces, in order to enhance proactiveness and to reduce caregiving burden.