Abstract

Background: More and more people receiving palliative care in the home, leading to increased responsibility for the next of kin. Being a caregiver and at the same time next of kin is a complex situation for everyone involved. Next of kin´s everyday life changes drastically when everything revolves around the one who is seriously ill.

Aim: To describe next of kin´s experiences of being caregivers to a palliative sick person at home. Method: A literature review in which eleven qualitative scientific articles were analyzed and summarized. Results: The results revealed three themes; experience of support, experience of changes in life and experience of strategies. To these themes were formed six sub-themes. Conclusions: Next of kin felt a great responsibility for the one who was sick and they felt that their own lives were set aside. To cope with the situation the next of kin needed information and support in multiple ways. This leads to the nurse to identify the support for the one who is seriously ill and for their families. This requires personal maturity and clinical experiences to meet the next of kin in a professional and empathic manner which leads to increased confidence for everyone involved and that generates in good care.

Keywords: palliative care, next of kin, career, changes in life, support