Caregiver burden of terminally-ill adults in the home setting.

A caregiver is an unpaid person, typically a family member or friend, who helps an ill person with the physical care and management of a disease. The task of caregiving results in additional responsibilities on the caregiver's daily life, and occupies the caregiver's time, energy, and attention, which is demanding and complex. The burden from caregiving, when prolonged, might affect the physical health of caregivers, causing symptoms, such as anxiety and depression, leading to a negative impact on their capacity for social engagement. This information sheet focuses on the best available evidence on factors that influence caregiver burden of the terminally-ill person, and provides some recommendations for practice.