title: Targeting communication interventions to decrease caregiver burden.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe family communication patterns that give shape to four types of family caregivers: Manager, Carrier, Partner, and Loner.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case studies of oncology family caregivers and hospice patients selected from data collected as part of a larger, randomized controlled trial aimed at assessing family participation in interdisciplinary team meetings.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Each caregiver type demonstrates essential communication traits with nurses and team members; an ability to recognize these caregiver types will facilitate targeted interventions to decrease family oncology caregiver burden.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  By becoming familiar with caregiver types, oncology nurses will be better able to address family oncology caregiver burden and the conflicts arising from family communication challenges. With an understanding of family communication patterns and its impact on caregiver burden, nurses can aid the patient, family, and team to best optimize all quality-of-life domains for patient and family caregiver.
authors.affiliation: University of Kentucky, Markey Cancer Center and Department of Communication, Lexington, KY 40506-0509, USA. Elaine.lyles@uky.edu
authors.forename: Elaine
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wittenberg-Lyles
authors.forename: Joy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Goldsmith
authors.forename: Debra Parker
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Oliver
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Demiris
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rankin
mesh_terms: D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D003142:Communication; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy; D011788:Quality of Life; D013315:Stress, Psychological