Studies have shown great physical and emotional 
vulnerability among informal family caregivers of dying 
cancer patients as a result of the demanding care they 
provide. However, many informal family caregivers find it 
difficult to locate appropriate treatment services to answer 
their physical and emotional needs. Thus, the aims of the 
current study were twofold: 1) to identify informal family 
caregivers’ needs in order to improve ways of intervening 
during the treatment and also after the death of their relative; 
2) to examine the emotional implications of taking care of a
dying family member by informal family caregivers. Based 
on a convenience sample, 48 informal family caregivers, 17 
men and 31 women, aged 19-75 years participated. A semi
structured questionnaire was used, containing background 
information on the caregiver and information on treating the 
patient, quality of the relationship with the sick relative, 
using formal support, and a hospital anxiety and depression 
scale questionnaire. Findings indicated that most of the 
informal family caregivers experienced good feelings about 
taking care of their dying relative since caring allowed them 
to feel that they were helping and supporting their relatives 
and caring for them gave them meaning as well. However, 
participants expressed relatively high levels of anxiety and 
depression. Furthermore, participants who received supportive services expressed lower levels of anxiety 
compared to those who did not receive supportive 
services. We concluded that the changing needs of 
informal family caregivers should be examined and 
structured follow-up programs prepared, to provide 
information and support according to the family 
caregiver’s changing emotional state.