Great expectations: a position description for parents as caregivers: Part I.
Parents caring for a child with a chronic condition must attend to a myriad of day-to-day management responsibilities and activities. This two-part series examines parental roles and responsibilities in detail. Part I will review both the adult and pediatric family caregiving literature. It will also describe four major caregiving responsibilities with associated tasks in both direct and indirect illness-related care, which parents are expected to perform when caring for a child with a chronic condition. These are: (a) managing the illness; (b) identifying, accessing, and coordinating resources; (c) maintaining the family unit; and (d) maintaining self. Part II (to be published in the next issue of Pediatric Nursing) will present a multifaceted list of parent caregiving management responsibilities and associated activities drawn from the literature. Clinical nursing implications associated with caregiver responsibilities and tasks will also be addressed.
Sullivan-Bolyai
Susan
S
University of Massachusetts, Worcester, USA.
Sadler
Lois
L
Knafl
Kathleen A
KA
Gilliss
Catherine L
CL
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003657:Decision Making; D005195:Family Relations; D006801:Humans; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology