Effect of empowerment program on the quality of life of the elderly cancer patients’ caregiver: A quasi-experimental study

Cancer patients and their family face challenges in their quality of life (QoL). Families have an important role in health care programs for their patients. This study evaluates the family-centered trainings on the QoL of the family caregivers of elderly cancer patients. This quasi-experimental study was conducted in 30 caregivers of elderly cancer patients who randomly divided into control and experiment groups (n=15 per group). Data was collected using a demographic and the Caregiver Quality of Life Index-Cancer (CQOLC) scale. The intervention was carried out as an individual education in two one-hour sessions. Six weeks after the intervention, the quality of life (QoL) was remeasured in the groups. ANCOVA and Bonferroni tests showed a statistically significant difference in the mean score of the QOL between the experiment (60.53±15.99) and the control groups (68.07±18.49) in the post-test (P <0.001). The family-centered intervention is beneficial in enhancing the QoL of caregivers of the elderly cancer patients. Consequently, providing educational programs can be an effective method and essential for improving the clients’ QoL.