Evaluating the Impact of the Life of a Caregiver Simulation on Student Attitudes, Understanding, and Knowledge of Frail Older Adults and Their Family Caregivers.

Many older adults age at home, cared for by family caregivers. Nurse educators need effective educational strategies to teach students family caregiving issues. This article examines how the Life of a Caregiver (LOC) simulation influences students' understanding and knowledge of aging, family caregiving issues, and related community services.

To use or not to use. A literature review of factors that influence family caregivers' use of support services.

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 to 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.

Life of a caregiver simulation: teaching students about frail older adults and their family caregivers.

The number of older adults with caregiving needs is rapidly escalating, and the majority of these adults are cared for at home by unpaid family members. Nurse educators must better prepare nurse graduates to meet the needs of this population, as well as to include family caregivers as part of the health care team. This article describes the design, implementation, and preliminary outcomes of a unique learning experience, the Life of a Caregiver Simulation, which uses narrative pedagogy to increase students' awareness and understanding of the needs of older adults, their family caregivers, and the community services they use.

Thromboembolic disorders in cancer.

Complex factors, including substances in cancer cells, cancer treatment effects, and venous stasis associated with chronic illness, blood vessel wall injury, and immobility, interact to place patients with cancer at risk for thrombosis. This article describes the etiology, clinical manifestations, diagnostic tests, and treatments for venous and pulmonary emboli associated with cancer. It explores the nurse's role in assessing patients who are at risk, managing symptomatic thrombosis and primary and secondary prevention of emboli, and administering anticoagulant therapy.