Table 2.

Illustrative comparisons of patient and caregiver reports of caregivers' positive change.

Patient-caregiver relationship	Patient-reported positive change for the caregiver	Caregiver-reported positive change	Illustrative quote from patient and caregiver reporting caregiver's positive change
Patient = daughter	Closer relationships with others	Better health habits	P: “I think she has gotten the opportunity to be closer with some of her friends … communicating via phone or email has been important for her. I think one of the positives is that … we were pretty consistent with walking together and having some talks. I pick a topic and say tell me about the best things you remember about your childhood or let's talk about camping days or something like that and give us an opportunity to connect even closer.”
Caregiver = mother
			C: “we [my family] can eat in a way to help prevent having cancer … we're becoming more aware of organic food and different ways to prepare food … I really feel that it's much more healthy for us. So that's been very positive for us.”
Patient = female partner	Denial of benefits	Clarifying life priorities	P: “I don't think there's any positive change. I think she doesn't want me to go. She doesn't want to be without me.”
Caregiver = female partner			C: “[I am] not worried about the yard anymore and what the neighbours think. It's like, you know what? The grass grows and it'll get cut eventually, [laughter] You have to evaluate what's important, what's really important to you.”
Patient = husband	Increased faith	Denial of benefits	P: “If there's anything positive, [it's] that we started going to church again. So I guess that's definitely a positive thing. I think it's definitely helped us.”
Caregiver = wife			C: “I can't think of anything positive in having to deal with cancer. I'm sorry. I wish I could. I wish somebody would find something.”
Patient = sister	Increased faith, greater appreciation of life	Better health habits, closer relationships with others	P: “I think it just made her even closer to God and even have more appreciation for each day … I'm sure she's very appreciative that she can just get up and go work on the farm or get up and do what she wants to do … after seeing me so sick … I'm sure it's probably made her more appreciative of everything that she has in her life.”
Caregiver = sister
			C: “I am still trying to exercise more. Although she [the patient] was an exercise fiend and that didn't seem to matter…. Our family has always been close. I think we are even closer.”
Patient = husband	Closer relationships with others, increased faith	Closer relationships with others	P: “I think, me and my wife is closer together, closer than we've ever been before, and I think closer to God than we was before this happened, too. I know we are.”
Caregiver = wife
			C: “I think we're [our family is] closer … [The illness has] jerked everybody's attention up in thinking, 'wow.'”

Note. P = Patient; C = Caregiver.