To Use or Not to Use: A Literature Review of Factors that Influence Family Caregivers’ Use of Support Services
Authors: Mast Merle E. 
Published: November 2012

How To Obtain Contact Hours By Reading This Article

Instructions

1.2 contact hours will be awarded by Villanova University College of Nursing upon successful completion of this activity. A contact hour is a unit of measurement that denotes 60 minutes of an organized learning activity. This is a learner-based activity. Villanova University College of Nursing does not require submission of your answers to the quiz. A contact hour certificate will be awarded once you register, pay the registration fee, and complete the evaluation form online at
https://villanova.gosignmeup.com
. To obtain contact hours you must:

1.
Read the article, “To Use or Not to Use: A Literature Review of Factors that Influence Family Caregivers’ Use of Support Services” found on pages 20–28, carefully noting any tables and other illustrative materials that are included to enhance your knowledge and understanding of the content. Be sure to keep track of the amount of time (number of minutes) you spend reading the article and completing the quiz.

2.
Read and answer each question on the quiz. After completing all of the questions, compare your answers to those provided within this issue. If you have incorrect answers, return to the article for further study.

3.
Go to the Villanova website listed above to register for contact hour credit. You will be asked to provide your name; contact information; and a VISA, MasterCard, or Discover card number for payment of the $20.00 fee. Once you complete the online evaluation, a certificate will be automatically generated.

This activity is valid for continuing education credit until December 31, 2014.

Contact Hours
This activity is co-provided by Villanova University College of Nursing and SLACK Incorporated.
Villanova University College of Nursing is accredited as a provider of continuing nursing education by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

Activity Objectives

1.
Review factors that influence family caregivers’ decisions to use or not to use support services such as respite.

2.
Describe evidence-based nursing strategies to assess and assist caregiving families.

Disclosure Statement
Neither the planners nor the author have any conflicts of interest to disclose.

Many family caregivers of frail older adults postpone or decline accessible and affordable services such as respite, despite their acknowledgement of unmet needs for support and time away from the burdens and stress of caregiving. How caregivers perceive their need for services, and the factors that influence their decisions to use or not use services, remain poorly understood. This article reviews the literature on family caregiving and the complex interrelated factors that influence caregivers’ choices regarding support services. It organizes these factors into four areas: (a) service characteristics, (b) personal predisposing factors that affect perceived need, (c) experiential coping and decision-making patterns, and (d) relational factors. It also examines the implications of this evidence for nursing assessments and interventions with frail older adults and their family caregivers.