Empowering Family Caregivers to Support Self-Care and Family Resilience Among Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis

Abstract

Background: Patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing hemodialysis face complex long-term self-care demands, including adherence to dialysis schedules, dietary and fluid restrictions, medication management, body-weight monitoring, vascular access care, and adaptation to physical and psychological changes. Family caregivers can provide important support, but their participation needs to be strengthened through structured education and involvement.
Objectives: This community service program aimed to strengthen family caregiver participation in supporting patients’ self-care and family resilience during long-term hemodialysis treatment.
Methods: The program was conducted at the Hemodialysis Unit of Rizani Hospital using a family empowerment approach. Twenty family caregivers participated in health education, structured caregiver assistance, counseling, self-care monitoring, and program evaluation. Educational content covered dialysis adherence, diet and fluid restriction, medication use, body-weight monitoring, vascular access care, recognition of complications, emotional support, and maintenance of patient independence. Post-program outcomes were evaluated descriptively across caregiver contribution to self-care and family resilience domains.
Results: The mean overall caregiver contribution to self-care score was 3.56 ± 0.38 on a four-point scale. Domain scores were 3.39 ± 0.58 for self-care maintenance, 3.61 ± 0.49 for monitoring, and 3.72 ± 0.43 for self-care management. The mean overall family resilience score was 3.63 ± 0.35, with scores of 3.66 ± 0.34 for communication and connectedness, 3.64 ± 0.36 for positive framing, and 3.55 ± 0.39 for external resources.
Conclusions: The post-program findings indicate favorable levels of family caregiver participation in supporting self-care and family resilience among patients undergoing hemodialysis. Integrating caregiver education, monitoring, and psychosocial support into routine hemodialysis services may help strengthen continuity of care between healthcare facilities and patients’ homes.