title: Great expectations: a position description for parents as caregivers: Part I.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: University of Massachusetts, Worcester, USA.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sullivan-Bolyai
authors.forename: Lois
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sadler
authors.forename: Kathleen A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Knafl
authors.forename: Catherine L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Gilliss
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003657:Decision Making; D005195:Family Relations; D006801:Humans; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology