Abstract
Little is known about the strengths of parents caring for their child who is receiving hospice/palliative care in Kenya. The purposes of this study were (1) to identify the sources of strength parent caregivers of Kenya turn to when their child is receiving palliative/hospice care in the home, (2) to assess if new strengths emerge with this population in comparison to previous studies, and (3) to assess if the Strengths Guide (SG) is an intervention that improves the parents' awareness of their value and utilization of their strengths. This descriptive study explored how these parents define strength and specifically where they find strength to carry on. A constant comparative analysis was used to identify the sources of strength. Before and after administering the SG, a "pre and post" Personal Strengths Scale was utilized to rate any differences in the parent's strength. Participants were located through a rural hospice in Western Kenya. No new themes were identified when compared with previous studies. The source of spirituality was unanimously identified as the most extremely important strength and overwhelmingly threaded throughout nearly the 10 other sources of strength identified. The SG was found to be a welcomed and effective intervention for nurses to use with this population.