Quality of Life in Caregivers of Hospitalized Older Patients With Cancer

Study Overview
=================
Brief Summary
-----------------
This clinical trial studies quality of life in caregivers of hospitalized older patients with cancer.

Detailed Description
-----------------
PRIMARY OBJECTIVES: I. Identify patient and caregiver factors associated with increased caregiver burden and decreased quality of life in caregivers of older adults with cancer. SECONDARY OBJECTIVES: I. Determine characteristics of informal caregivers of older adults with cancer admitted to hospital. II. Determine type and amount of care informal caregivers provide for older adults with cancer admitted to hospital. III. Determine quality of life in informal caregivers of older adults with cancer admitted to hospital. IV. Identify caregiver needs, both informational and resource related. V. Explore the association between re-admission to the hospital within 30 days and caregiver burden. VI. Explore whether feedback of information attained from the assessment of the caregiver influences services implemented by the health care team. VII. Determine reasons for non-participation. OUTLINE: Caregivers complete a questionnaire about their sociodemographics, physical health, social supports, social activity, mental health and caregiver burden. They will also provide an assessment of the person they care for.

Official Title
-----------------
Physical, Emotional and Social Stressors and Their Impact on Quality of Life of Caregivers of Hospitalized Older Adults With Cancer

Conditions
-----------------
Hematopoietic/Lymphoid Cancer, Unspecified Adult Solid Tumor, Protocol Specific

Intervention / Treatment
-----------------
* Other: questionnaire administration
* Procedure: quality-of-life assessment


Participation Criteria
=================
Eligibility Criteria
-----------------
Inclusion Criteria: PATIENT: Age >= 65 years old PATIENT: Diagnosis of cancer (solid or hematologic malignancy) PATIENT: Be able to provide informed consent PATIENT: Unplanned admission to hospital CAREGIVER: Primary caregiver (person who provides all of the majority of the unpaid care for the care recipient) CAREGIVER: Be able to provide informed consent Exclusion Criteria: PATIENT: Planned admission to hospital for treatment (chemotherapy, transplant) CAREGIVER: Not fluent in English (because not all questionnaires have been validated in other languages) CAREGIVER: Paid and trained to care for the patient

Ages Eligible for Study
-----------------
Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
-----------------
All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
-----------------
Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
=================
How is the study designed?
-----------------

Design Details

Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Supportive care (quality of life questionnaire)<br>Caregivers complete a self-administered questionnaire about factors associated with increased caregiver burden and decreased quality of life. | Other: questionnaire administration<br>* Ancillary studies<br>Procedure: quality-of-life assessment<br>* Ancillary studies<br>* Other names: quality of life assessment;|

What is the study measuring?
-----------------
Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Caregiver burden and caregiver quality of life as measured by the Caregiver Quality of Life-Cancer Index | Univariate analyses will be performed to test differences in the Caregiver Quality of Life-Cancer Index (CQOLC) total score and score of each domain (burden, distinctiveness, positive adaption, and financial concern) across categorical variables (analysis of variance [ANOVA]), and simple linear regression will be used to test association of CQOLC total score with continuous and categorical variables. | Up to 1 year |