title: Informal caregiving to older cancer patients: preliminary research outcomes and implications.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The population of the Western world is aging while cancer survival rates are rising. Older patients with cancer will increasingly be taken care of by informal family caregivers. The current study describes levels of psychological distress, social support and coping abilities reported by partners who are caregivers to older patients with cancer (60+ years), comparing them to a control group of spouses of similarly aged people not suffering from life-threatening illness.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two hundred sixteen partners who are primary caregivers of cancer patients aged 60+ were compared with 76 partners of healthy people aged 60+ and never diagnosed with any terminal illness. Participants completed self-reporting measures on psychological distress, coping ability and social support.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Caregivers to cancer patients reported high levels of distress, low levels of social support and low levels of coping abilities which are negatively correlated to distress. Increased patient age was found to accentuate these processes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Age and the progression of cancer as a chronic illness present the physician with the reality that focus of care should be on the dyad (patient and caregiver), with high priority given to partners who are informal caregivers.
authors.affiliation: School of Behavioral Sciences, Academic College of Tel Aviv-Yaffo, Tel-Aviv; Sharett Institute of Oncology, Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem. Electronic address: giligold@mta.ac.il.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Goldzweig
authors.affiliation: Sharett Institute of Oncology, Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Merims
authors.affiliation: Sharett Institute of Oncology, Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ganon
authors.affiliation: Sharett Institute of Oncology, Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Peretz
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Award, Assuta Hospital, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Altman
authors.affiliation: Sharett Institute of Oncology, Hadassah University Hospital, Jerusalem.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Baider
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D011788:Quality of Life; D012944:Social Support; D018454:Spouses / Q000523:psychology; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors
keywords: cancer; caregiver; coping; distress; old age; social support