Home hemodialysis and the caregivers' experience: a critical analysis.

The caregivers' role is often unrecognized and invisible. Caregivers are usually female and, in most situations, the caregiver is the patient's spouse or life partner. Caregivers often experience emotional stress, anxiety, depression and worsening health, and caregivers of individuals with end stage renal disease also report feelings of isolation and overwhelming exhaustion. The caregivers' role has changed over the years and there is an urgent need for additional services to assist the elderly in shouldering the burden of caregiving through counselling, education, social support, home care and respite care. Health care professionals need to develop an awareness of the caregivers' experience when caring for individuals with end stage renal disease, and nurses, in particular, need to develop practices that are sensitive to the patients' and the families' needs.