"Post-caregiving"

Interview with Isabelle Van Pevenage, researcher at the Social Gerontology Research and Expertise Centre (CREGÉS) of CIUSSS Centre-Ouest-de-l’Île-de-Montréal.

Ms. Van Pevenage's research interests are related to post-caregiving. They focus on—among other things—caregiving, bereavement and the relationship with death, as well as palliative and end-of-life care.

What is "post-caregiving" called? Is it an official term?
"Post-caregiving" is not an official term and is generally not recognized by either caregivers or professionals. Very factually, it is the period that follows the more or less long period of caregiving. I emphasize this notion of duration, because it can greatly influence the experience of post-caregiving. Caregivers can be absorbed by their daily role, projecting little into the future. Some do, but it's rather rare. And often, they know what's going to happen, but thinking about post-caregiving, about the "after," after death, after placement... it's difficult, you don't want to prepare for that. Somewhere, it's an end—the end of the relationship with the cared-for person. The accepted expression in a caregiving situation could be "we'll shovel when it snows." And, in the end, this can be a very good defense mechanism.

For professionals, there is always the problem of a lack of resources, but beyond that, post-caregiving falls outside the scope of their work. Once the cared-for person has passed away, their file is closed. Unless the caregiver themselves has needs, they are no longer part of the process, unfortunately.

What are the physical and emotional consequences for the caregiver?
The consequences are closely linked to the duration of caregiving, as I mentioned earlier. If this stage was relatively short, the caregiver will experience their grief. In the case of post-caregiving, the consequences can manifest much later, but grief is added to post-caregiving, with all the sadness it implies. Physically, defenses can collapse, the person can finally allow themselves to feel extremely tired, depressed... They can also feel a certain relief that the situation is over. And that's where guilt can emerge, the guilt of feeling relief, even though the cared-for person is gone.

What resources can these individuals turn to to better navigate this period?
There is little psychosocial support available in the health network, especially if caregivers are not identified as such. So, one can turn to the community sector and look for social activities that will counteract isolation, such as community kitchens for example. These are resources that do not have a direct connection a priori, but which can be very useful. There is also the problem of accessibility of information: if you don't know that the problem exists, you won't try to solve it.

Can post-caregiving be an opportunity for the person to "evaluate" their experience, in order to highlight the positive elements?
Yes, and the best example is seen in palliative care homes, where volunteers are often former caregivers. They have been supported and want to give back in a certain way what they have received. Based on their experience, they have been able to develop skills that can allow them to bounce back, or even to re-enter the workforce for example. And they can also feel the pleasure of having given of themselves, of being able to transmit knowledge, and derive a certain pride from it.

What means does the caregiver have to prepare for this stage?
The best thing to do would be not to isolate oneself, try not to burn out, surround oneself with others, and find support. Also very important: not to stop investing in other "identities": continue to be a grandparent, a spouse, a friend... in short, not to be solely a caregiver.

Are you going through a period of post-caregiving? The Info-aidant service remains available to you and can inform you about the resources available to support you during this phase. Do not hesitate to contact them at 1 855 852-7784 or by writing to info-aidant@lappui.org

To see the original article, click here.