Post-informal caregiver's perspectives and experiences of the support network: a systematic literature review and meta-synthesis.
Catarina Inês Costa Afonso, Ana Cristina Spinola Madeira, Susana Pinto Leite Vasconcelos Teixeira de Magalhães
PMID 39514690WHAT IT FOUND
Adults who had stopped caring described support gaps after care ended: isolation, financial strain, grief, and services that stopped too soon.
They wanted continued help, practical guidance, and community connection.
Key findings
01Support often stopped when care ended, leaving loneliness and mourning.
02Financial vulnerability and mental-health impact were described as major post-care challenges.
03Caregivers wanted structured services and family, community, and spiritual support to continue.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only 7 qualitative studies and 82 participants were included, so the themes are not generalizable. The review had no time limit and found limited evidence, with no studies from Portugal. Language restrictions to English, Portuguese and Spanish may have missed studies. Most included studies did not report researcher location or influence, lowering confidence. The findings are experiences and needs, not tested effects of support services.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that support services improve caregiver outcomes. It synthesises what caregivers said they needed, and no tested intervention was evaluated.