Purpose: To support family caregivers of persons post-stroke adequately from the start and to develop self-management interventions, we aim to gain a better understanding of family caregivers experiences at the time of acute care and therefore achieve a better understanding of how they manage their new situation. Methods and Materials: We chose a qualitative descriptive methodology using individual semi-structured interviews with eleven family caregivers of persons post-stroke. We conducted interviews retrospectively, between 2 and 10 months post-stroke, and analysed transcripts using thematic analysis. Results: The themes (1) being in survival mode, (2) feeling supported by family and friends, (3) feeling left alone by the treatment team and (4) insisting on information emerged from the data. Conclusion: During acute care, many self-management skills are required from family caregivers but are just starting to be developed. This development can first be observed as co-management with the social network and is often combined with shared decision-making. Information-sharing, foundational for developing self-management, is essential for family caregivers and should be supported proactively by health professionals from the beginning. Further, from the start, health professionals should raise awareness about role changes and imbalances of activities among family caregivers to prevent negative influences on their health.
In this paper I describe the ways in which the communication discipline can make a hidden crisis transparent. For this purpose I examine the concept of crisis entrepreneurship from a communication point of view. Using discourse analysis, I analyse the discursive practices of crisis entrepreneurs in the domain of education in the Netherlands. This paper is part of my Ph.D. project in which I examine the dilemmas encountered by crisis entrepreneurs and the interactional solutions they choose in addressing a crisis. In my Ph.D. project I have analysed how crisis entrepreneurs use discursive practices: (1) to show the factuality of the problem. For example, the way the problem is presented is too theoretical and is not a problem in reality; (2) to present the credibility of the messenger as an authentic, legitimate spokesman. Crisis entrepreneurs may be accused of wanting to attract attention to their own cause; (3) to create the accountability for the problem and the solution. For example, crisis entrepreneurs can be accused of nursing personal grievances or of drawing attention to the issue without actively attempting to solve it. The conclusion is that a communication professional is able to recognize a problem raised by crisis entrepreneurs. Knowledge of interactional dilemmas helps communication professionals understand the potential of crisis entrepreneurs.
In this paper I describe the ways in which the communication discipline can make a hidden crisis transparent. For this purpose I examine the concept of crisis entrepreneurship from a communication point of view. Using discourse analysis, I analyse the discursive practices of crisis entrepreneurs in the domain of education in the Netherlands. This paper is part of my Ph.D. project in which I examine the dilemmas encountered by crisis entrepreneurs and the interactional solutions they choose in addressing a crisis. In my Ph.D. project I have analysed how crisis entrepreneurs use discursive practices: (1) to show the factuality of the problem. For example, the way the problem is presented is too theoretical and is not a problem in reality; (2) to present the credibility of the messenger as an authentic, legitimate spokesman. Crisis entrepreneurs may be accused of wanting to attract attention to their own cause; (3) to create the accountability for the problem and the solution. For example, crisis entrepreneurs can be accused of nursing personal grievances or of drawing attention to the issue without actively attempting to solve it. The conclusion is that a communication professional is able to recognize a problem raised by crisis entrepreneurs. Knowledge of interactional dilemmas helps communication professionals understand the potential of crisis entrepreneurs. A communication professional can therefore contribute to the recognition of crises by acknowledging that a crisis entrepreneur is someone who can have a strong hand in the public agenda, i.e., public affairs that are important to the authorities.