"The People You Are Caring for Are Worth It and You Are Worth It": Themes of Hope in Family Caregivers of Persons with Early-Stage Alzheimer's Disease.

Abstract

Recent surveys elevate the importance of positive psychological factors such as hope as social work practioners equip caregivers with persons experiencing Alzheimer's Disease to address burdens associated with this role. This study extends research on caregiver adaptation by analyzing the narratives of 27 caregivers with family members in the early stages of this disease. Three themes revealed the complexity and centrality of hope in their lived experience: hopeful transitions, sources of hope, and hope amplifiers. Findings supported and expanded existing hope theory while documenting the transitions, types, pathways, uncertainities, and outcomes of caregivers in this study.