Experiences of family members caring for a long term mentally ill patient at Letaba, Limpopo Province

Abstract

Qualitative, exploratory and descriptive research study was conducted using the case study approach. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the experiences of family members caring for a long term mentally ill patient suffering from schizophrenia. Purposive sampling was used to select one family who cared for the patient for more than two years. Data was collected through the process of in-depth, unstructured individual interviews. Interviews were tape recorded and transcribed verbatim. Themes, categories and sub-categories were finally identified. The findings revealed that although the family was willing to care for the patient at home, they experienced challenges to provide basic care. Other challenges included were lack of adherence to treatment, financial constraints, substance abuse, social stigma, fear and concerns about the patient’s future. A conceptual map was designed to reflect the major concepts of the findings