The eShift model of care: informal caregivers' experience of a new model of home-based palliative care

Introduction: Amidst concerns about the capacity to meet the needs of older adults requiring home-based palliative care in Ontario, Canada, one regional organization that coordinates home care services implemented a new model of home care delivery called 'eShift'. The eShift model of home-based palliative utilizes point-of-care technology along with remotely located registered nurses and personal support workers in the client's home to provide palliative care to clients who wish to die at home. Methods: For this pilot study, an interpretive description methodology with semi-structured interviews was conducted to examine the experiences of eight informal caregivers who cared for a family member who received palliative care as part of the eShift model of home care. Results and discussion: Four themes were identified: the health care family; making the invisible visible; there's no place like home; and burden of love. Overall, informal caregivers indicated that they were very satisfied with care delivery, felt supported by health care providers, and were able to support their family member to die at home. Findings from this study contribute a greater understanding of the experiences of informal caregivers caring for a family member receiving care in a technology enhanced palliative care model.