1. Care of a chronically ill or frail elderly individual is increasingly a normative family function, with negative and positive outcomes for those family members providing care. 2. Practitioners in nursing must be aware of the impact stress can have on family members when one member has been diagnosed with cancer. Nurses must assess potential caregivers' knowledge, skills, and preparedness in order to assist them in assuming their caregiving roles. 3. Nurses are in an ideal situation to provide the needed assessments and to develop individualized interventions that can support the efforts and care provided by the family caregiver.