Jaarsma, Tiny

Aim: To describe the extent of perceived collaboration between family caregivers of older persons and hospital nurses. Background: Collaboration between hospital nurses and family caregivers is of increasing importance in older patient's care. Research lacks a specific focus on family caregiver's collaboration with nurses.

Family caregivers of an older person who was recently hospitalized often feel unprepared for their new or expanded tasks. Quality and continuity of care for older people is expected to improve when nurses collaborate with family caregivers as partners in care. The aim of this study was to explore the unique contribution of collaboration between family caregivers of older patients and hospital nurses as a possible predictor for preparedness of caregiving after hospital discharge.

Background: The Heart Failure Caregiver Questionnaire (HF-CQ®) was developed to assess subjective outcomes of heart failure caregivers. The HF-CQ® comprises 21 questions on three domains, namely physical, emotional/psychological and lifestyle. The objective of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the HF-CQ®. Methods: Patients (n = 150) with heart failure and their primary caregivers (n = 150) were recruited from 11 sites in USA.

Background: The role of caregivers is important for the successful support of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) patients. We aimed to (1) evaluate quality of life (QoL) of caregivers pre-and post-LVAD implant and (2) identify factors associated with caregivers' QoL.; Methods: The caregivers' QoL was assessed with the Short Form-8 before implant, at 3 and 6 months after LVAD implantation. The physical and mental component summary (PCS and MCS) scores were calculated.

Aims and objectives To explore the perceived caring needs in patient-partner dyads affected by heart failure to develop an understanding of potential areas of support. Background Being affected by heart failure has a great impact on both the patient and the partner but until now contemporary care has remained patient focused. Design A qualitative study design was used. Methods Eight focus group interviews were performed, which included nineteen patients diagnosed with heart failure and their cohabiting partner.