“Systems seem to get in the way”: a qualitative study exploring experiences of accessing and receiving support among informal caregivers of people living with chronic kidney disease

Table 1 Sample characteristics (n = 13)

Name	Age	Relationship to the care recipient(s)	Currently living with care recipient	Care recipient receiving renal replacement therapy?	Length of time caring	How well they were coping
Anna	60–69	Spouse/Partner	No^b	Yes, dialysis	6 years	Neither well nor not well
Chloe	40–49	Spouse/Partner	Yes	Yes, received transplant	11 years	Neither well nor not well
Claire	60–69	Spouse/Partner	Yes	No^d	9 years	Very well
Emily	60–69	Spouse/Partner	Yes	Yes, dialysis^d	1 year 7 months	Not well
Freya	30–39	Spouse/Partner	Yes	No	5 years	Well
Kate	40–49	Spouse/Partner & Parent^a	Yes	No	2 years 6 months	Very well
Olivia	40–49	Spouse/Partner	Yes	Yes, received transplant	4 years 6 months	Neither well nor not well
Sarah	40–49	Spouse/Partner	Yes	No	3 months	Very unwell
Priya	30–39	Sibling^a	No	Yes, received transplant	30 years	Well
Rebecca	60–69	Sibling	No	No	10 years 6 months	Neither well nor not well
Sofia	40–49	Sibling	No^c	Yes, dialysis	5 years	Not well
Holly	60–69	Child	Yes	No	5 years 6 months	Neither well nor not well
Zainab	50–59	Parent	No	Yes, received transplant	2 years 9 months	Neither well nor not well

Note: Pseudonyms and age ranges are used to protect participant confidentiality
^aKate and Priya both care for two people living with CKD
^bAnna’s spouse typically lived with her, however, at the time of the interview he was hospitalised
^cSofia provided long-distance care for her brother who lives in another country
^dClaire and Emily were caring for someone with CKD related to having kidney cancer

ISSN: 1471-2369