We also collected data on caregivers' receipt of prescribed medication for symptoms of depression and anxiety by transcribing information from medication containers, which were provided by the caregivers. After the patient's death, caregivers were asked a series of questions about the amount of time the patient had felt pain before death, the extent to which death was a relief to the patient and to the caregiver, and the extent to which they had been prepared for the patient's death. Caregivers were also asked about their use of and need for bereavement-related services (e.g., counseling, support groups, medication, and physicians' services).
Because the assignment of caregivers to the treatment group (those provided with psychosocial and behavioral interventions designed to alleviate the burden on the caregiver) or to the control group had no effect on the outcomes examined in our study, for our analysis we combined in-home caregivers in the intervention group and those in the control group into a single group.