This revised application seeks support to add to the understanding of the experiences of informal, rural, southern caregivers of persons dying with cancer. This study is a preliminary, exploratory project aimed at gaining knowledge that will eventually lead to nursing interventions, which will aid this population in the burden of caregiving. During the two-year study, data will be gathered from 30 caregivers of patients in hospice programs at a maximum of three times for each informant: (a) within one week of the patient's admission to the hospice program, (b) three to four weeks later, and (c) six weeks after the patient's death. At these times the informants will be asked to related stories about important experiences that occurred while they provided care. Also, the investigators will act as participant observers with a subgroup of subjects as they provide care to their family members. The narratives and data from participant observations will be subjected to a hermeneutic analysis in order to discover themes that will lead to a complete understanding of the informants' experiences as caregivers .
