Table 3.

Classes of potential stress alleviation and examples as described by the home-based caregivers.

Class of Stress Relief	Example	Speaker
Resources	“Are there any resources that can help with the care, people, products, places? Don’t tell me to call X after the fact… I didn’t know that X even existed.”	Caregiver 8
Information regarding disease progression	“What is it? “How to manage it? What are the symptoms and triggers? What happens next?”	Caregiver 6
Empowerment	“If you are asking me to manage this illness, pay attention to me, I know what I am talking about, I live with it.”	Caregiver 2
Knowledge of costs	“Why is the medical system so complex, I don’t understand the forms and especially what something cost until after they send a bill.”	Caregiver 4
Training	“Help me understand how to use the equipment. Not just the use, but what do I do if something goes wrong?”	Caregiver 3
Knowledge	“I wish I knew about hospice services much earlier. Social workers at the hospital could have discussed this with me when we had the dire diagnosis, right at the beginning. The promotion of hospice should be focused on hospice as a more patient-centered way of managing long-term health care, not just a place where you take your loved one to die. The big point for my wife was to reduce significantly the trips to the hospital.”	Caregiver 5

Open-ended questions allowed caregivers to provide multiple answers.