Experiences of Chronically-ill Kidney Patients and Caregivers

Abstract

Health is the balanced state of physical, mental, emotional, psychological, economic and social status of a person. Therefore, the government attempts a lot and invests huge amount of money in making people healthy. However, people suffer from multiple diseases and the society is contributed adversely due to chronic illness of its members. While becoming ill, a person performs the sick role, which the society anticipates, but on the flipside the caregivers have to suffer indeed. This dissertation therefore focuses on exploring not only how chronically-ill kidney patients feel, but also digs the inner surface of the caregivers and brings out their experience. In other words, this dissertation explores firstly the experience of bed-ridden kidney patients, and secondly narrates the experience of caregiving. One renowned hospital in the Kathmandu valley is chosen in order to identify the kidney patients, and to collect data from them. Equal size of caregivers was also chosen as respondents, a total size of sample therefore reached 30. Key methods of data collection applied for this research was in-depth interview and observation. The dissertation explores that the life of kidney patients was highly terrific, while the experience of caregiving was also not less painful than those that are living with chronic kidney disease. Kidney patients were found worried of death while caregivers were stressed by financial burden and damaged career prospects. More interesting is that the relationship between kidney patients and caregivers was unbroken despite kidney disease being expensive and caregiver-demanding illness.