Month: June 2021

Women Caregivers for Individuals Following Brain Injury

A study to better understand the lived experiences of women serving as full-time caregivers to survivors of brain injury is seeking participants. Our current knowledge indicates that a majority of caregiving is provided by mothers, partners, sisters, and daughters, but few studies have looked specifically at the experiences of these women. There is a need to better understand factors impacting the quality of life for these women caregivers such as social isolation, financial constraints, and family dynamics. Also, learning of the successes from a caregiver’s experience may lend support for others in similar situations. The results of this project will assist in developing helpful supports and resources for women caregivers.

This work is being led by Dr. Cynthia O’Donoghue and Dr. Cara Meixner, both professors at
James Madison University. The study has been approved by the Institutional Review Board for human subjects research at JMU.
Women caregivers will be invited to participate in a 30-45 minute telephone or Zoom interview. An invite will be sent via email, but for individuals that do not have computer access, contact by phone (and phone interviews) is possible. No participant names nor names of the individual they are caring for will be identifiable.
We are seeking

• Volunteers who identify as women, age 18 or older who are in the role of full-time, live-in
caregiver to a survivor of brain injury.
• The survivor’s brain injury must have occurred at least one year previously.
• Participants must be able to participate in an interview that will be held in English.

If you are interested or know someone who might wish to participate, please contact:
Cara Meixner
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 540-568-4830