Factors militating against the preparedness of families in managing terminal health conditions in Nsukka, Enugu State, Nigeria

Abstract

The family is an integral part of society that is assigned enormous responsibilities, especially with the care of its members both children  and adults. Terminal health conditions do not just affect the individuals involved but the entire family; therefore, when a family member  is sick, the entire family is sick. This study aimed to interrogate the factors militating against families’ preparedness to manage the terminal health conditions of their members. Using in-depth interviews, data were collected from 13 families in Nsukka that were  randomly selected for the study. The inclusion criteria were that the participant must be an adult member of a family who has taken or  currently taking care of a terminally ill patient/family member. The interviews were transcribed and coded accordingly, and the data were  analyzed using inductive thematic methods which helped to extract participants’ chronological experiences in caring for terminally  ill family members. The results show that families and caregivers face chronic stress and exhaustion when caring for their terminally ill  members. Participants reported pressure and socio-economic challenges as factors affecting the management of family members with  terminal health conditions. The study has implications for social work and other service-based professionals in healthcare. It calls for the  design of holistic care interventions, involving both the patients and family caregivers. The study also draws attention to the need to  revitalize palliative care services at every level of the healthcare delivery system in Nigeria with options for home services.