Authors: Miriam O Ezenwa Dena J Fischer Joel Epstein Julie Johnson Yingwei Yao Diana J Wilkie
Publish Date: 2016/06/29
Volume: 24, Issue: 11, Pages: 4769-4777
Abstract
A crosssectional observational clinical study design was used We recruited dyads of lay caregivers and patients with advanced cancer who were receiving hospice or palliative care in their homes Caregivers N = 104 mean age = 554 ± 150 years 18–100 n = 50 48 AfricanAmerican and n = 80 77 female completed the proxy version of the Oral Problems Scale to provide their perspectives regarding their care recipients’ xerostomia orofacial pain and taste change in the past weekMore than half of the caregivers reported that care recipients’ oral hygiene was a very important responsibility for caregivers and over 80 reported that it was very important to evaluate their care recipients’ oral problems However caregivers reported that they asked their care recipients about oral problems infrequently There were statistically significant correlations between caregivers’ and care recipients’ ratings on xerostomia orofacial pain taste change and functional/social impact Caregivers’ age and wellbeing predicted their awareness of care recipients’ oral health problemsThis publication was made possible by Grant P30NR010680 from the National Institutes of Health National Institute of Nursing Research Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institute of Nursing Research The final peerreviewed manuscript is subject to the National Institutes of Health Public Access Policy The authors thank Jan Durham from Horizon Hospice Palliative Care and Hope Engeseth and Julie Vecchio from the University of Illinois at Chicago for the subject referral and data collection
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